Moana Kuewa

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		2009/07/30 ISRAEL West Bank Bethlehem Location: ISRAEL: West Bank Date: 2009.07.30 Location/Name: ISRAEL West Bank Bethlehem Perched on a hill at the edge of the Judean desert, Bethlehem is the childhood home of King David (1010-970 BC). It was also the birthplace of Jesus Christ and a major site of pilgrimage since the construction of the Church of the Nativity in the 4th century AD. The town flourished until Crusader times, but the fallowing centuries witnessed a great reduction in population, reversed only after the 1948 war with the arrival of thousands of Palestinian refugees. Since 1995, Bethlehem has been under the control of the Palestinian National Authority, which has initiated a program of economic recovery and tourism. A key tourist attraction was the Church of the Nativity that is located on Manger Square, built in the fourth century over the supposed spot where Jesus Christ was born and, as such, on of the most holy of Christian sites. In 1852, shared custody of the church was granted to the Roman Catholic, Armenian, and Greek Orthodox Churches, the Greeks caring for the Grotto of the Nativity. Connected to the Grotto is the 1st century AD burial places of St Jerome and St Paula. St Jerome (342-420 AD) was one of the most learned scholars of early Christian Church. He travelled widely and in 384 settled in Bethlehem, where he founded a monastery. Here, he completed a new version of the Bible, inspired by the pope’s suggestion that a single book should replace the many differing texts in circulation. Although Bethlehem is steeped in Christian religion, Muslim residents now outnumber Christians . Part of this is because of the forced relocation of Muslim and Christian Palestinians from Old Jerusalem and “Jewish state.” Part is because of the large number of children most Muslim families produce. Traveling Individuals Names: Nadine Smith & Christine Bauman * Most of the descriptions are taken from the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide – Jerusalem & the Holy Land