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About RIWAQ
Fact Sheet
Riwaq Team
Awards & Prizes
Re-using Historic Buildings
Job Creation through Conservation
Throne
Village Palaces
Technical Information
Rehabilitation & Development
Birzeit Rehabilitation Plan
Registry Of Historical Buildings
Community Projects
Competitions
Volunteer Work Camps
Photo Archive
Biennale Riwaq
Culture & Heritage Routes
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Re-Walk Palestine
This is
the first in a series of cultural & heritage trails to
be developed by Riwaq in the coming period. The series
shall consist of designed hiking, biking & busing trails
that take visitors, local & foreign, along paths that
connect heritage, culture, landscape & festivals in
Palestine celebrating people and environment in an
attempt to offer a new experience of Palestine.
Ramallah Highlands Trail
is Riwaq’s first heritage & cultural
trail developed through the Mutual Heritage project
as part of the Euromed Heritage IV program funded by the
EU. It connects Ramallah and el-Bira, Ras Karkar, el-Janiya,
Bir Zeit, Jifna, Jalazone Refugee Camp, ‘Ein Siniya,
Dura al-Qar’, Silwad, and et-Taiyiba. The trail
represents the mutual heritage of those sites within the
wider scheme of the most significant 50 historic centers
chosen by Riwaq.
The
heritage trail examines and promotes Palestinian
cultural heritage in these sites, highlighting 19th and
20th century architectural heritage, the surrounding
cultural landscape and archeological sites as well as
cultural activities and services available. It targets
local and international tourists by providing
alternative cultural tourist trails. The trail focuses
on bringing local and global awareness towards improving
tourism and supporting the rehabilitation of historic
centers in Palestine. A heritage map was published and a
heritage guide is undergoing a comprehensive research to
be produced for easy use.
The
heritage trail consists of busing and hiking trails. The
hiking trails mostly travel along agricultural roads and
are designed to allow for different paths with different
distances and difficulty rates, suitable to be hiked by
the different people of different ages, physical
abilities, and interests. Different attraction points
are highlighted in the different sites representing the
diversity and richness of Palestinian cultural heritage:
historic centers and single historic buildings in Bir
Zeit, Ramallah, and et-Taiyiba, Throne Village
architecture in Al Samhan Castle in Ras Karkar, natural
springs and agricultural landscape in Dura al-Qar’ and
‘Ein Siniya, architecture of refugee camps in Jalazone
RC, agricultural watchtowers in Silwad, and buildings
of the mid 20th century in Ramallah, among
many others.
The
first public guided tour of the trail took place on 31
January, 2010. Since then, more than 220 locals and
internationals hiked and visited parts or the whole
distance of the trail, learning about Palestinian
cultural heritage and the different histories of those
sites, enjoying the local hospitality, stories, food,
and the beautiful scenery and landscape of Palestine.
Riwaq organizes trips and
hikes along that trail, so if you are a group or looking
for one and would like to Re-walk Palestine just
contact
us.
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