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Destination: Palestine

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The Hijab — The Meaning of a Scarf

To show modern Palestine both in its people and its institutions, we popped into Birzeit University. Its campus, at the edge of Ramallah, has an enrollment of about 10,000. With beautiful landscaping connecting modern buildings and a student body that seemed like the future leaders of this young country, the campus was a huge contrast with the intense and chaotic cities.

Strolling through the campus, I sensed a younger generation working hard for a stable and prosperous future. My agenda was to connect with young women and learn a bit about the status of women in Palestine. Along with many other things, I’m curious about the beautiful hijab, or head covering. I’ve noticed that some women throughout the country wear it, while others don’t.
Strolling through the campus, I sensed a younger generation working hard for a stable and prosperous future. My agenda was to connect with young women and learn a bit about the status of women in Palestine. Along with many other things, I’m curious about the beautiful hijab, or head covering. I’ve noticed that some women throughout the country wear it, while others don’t.
We’ve filmed a series of interviews with people from many walks of life in Israel and Palestine to be used as DVD extras for our Holy Land special (and, I hope, for radio interviews). Our guide set us up with these three women. They were majoring in architecture and civil engineering and spoke English well. We had a delightful conversation about the role of women in a Muslim-dominated society. They all agreed that there were more women than men here in higher education, and that they can do anything if they work hard. Still, the consensus was that a woman’s role is generally to raise children and run the family, while the man’s role is to be out making the money.
We’ve filmed a series of interviews with people from many walks of life in Israel and Palestine to be used as DVD extras for our Holy Land special (and, I hope, for radio interviews). Our guide set us up with these three women. They were majoring in architecture and civil engineering and spoke English well. We had a delightful conversation about the role of women in a Muslim-dominated society. They all agreed that there were more women than men here in higher education, and that they can do anything if they work hard. Still, the consensus was that a woman’s role is generally to raise children and run the family, while the man’s role is to be out making the money.
The women I talked with agreed that women are free to be individuals in Palestine, and that choosing to wear the hijab was entirely up to them. The woman who covers up is just as socially active and in on all of the jokes and fun. But when she walks in public, she feels she gets more respect.
The women I talked with agreed that women are free to be individuals in Palestine, and that choosing to wear the hijab was entirely up to them. The woman who covers up is just as socially active and in on all of the jokes and fun. But when she walks in public, she feels she gets more respect.
While a woman on the street wearing a scarf is treated differently, that doesn’t mean she isn’t fashion-conscious. One woman I met told me that she has over a hundred scarves, and each morning, she enjoys choosing one that fits her mood. It’s an ensemble. You never wear pattern-on-pattern or solid-on-solid. If the dress is solid, the hijab will be patterned. And color coordination is important, too. Many women are sure to have toenail polish, handbag, lipstick, and scarf all in sync.
While a woman on the street wearing a scarf is treated differently, that doesn’t mean she isn’t fashion-conscious. One woman I met told me that she has over a hundred scarves, and each morning, she enjoys choosing one that fits her mood. It’s an ensemble. You never wear pattern-on-pattern or solid-on-solid. If the dress is solid, the hijab will be patterned. And color coordination is important, too. Many women are sure to have toenail polish, handbag, lipstick, and scarf all in sync.

I’ll continue this Holy Land series until November 21st. Then, to celebrate my homecoming, I’ll give a live, free slideshow lecture on Thursday, November 21st at 7 p.m. P.S.T. in Edmonds, Washington. You can attend in person (registration required)…or watch the live webcast from anywhere in the world (no registration required). Learn more at Rick Steves – Holy Land: Israel and Palestine Today.

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A Holy Land Miracle

Our work was made much easier by the car and driver provided to us by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism. It was a long, hot hike down to the Monastery of St. George. Coming up, we were pleasantly surprised by our driver, who managed to drive his car down to a crevice in the mountain, cutting our hike by half.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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The Desolation of a Monk’s Dreams — The Monastery of St. George

Hiding in folds of the Judean Desert are ancient monasteries which, since ancient times, have given hermits the desolation of their dreams. Orthodox Christians — whether from Palestine, Greece, Russia, or Ethiopia — enliven these monasteries today, as they have since the sixth century. Orthodox Christians maintain a rich and ancient worship style that has not reformed as Catholic and Protestant Christians have. And, logically, their art feels timeless, too. The icons here are a reminder of how, for these monks, the meditation, isolation, and hermetic way of life can all help them to better understand the message and will of Jesus.

The dramatically set Monastery of St. George welcomes pilgrims and tourists alike. For 15 centuries, the faithful have ventured to this spot, hiked into the ravine, quenched their thirst, and nourished their soul.
The dramatically set Monastery of St. George welcomes pilgrims and tourists alike. For 15 centuries, the faithful have ventured to this spot, hiked into the ravine, quenched their thirst, and nourished their soul.
Looking up at this imposing monastery — burrowed into its cliff — it almost seems like a mirage in a parched desert. If you want holy solitude, this is clearly the place.
Looking up at this imposing monastery — burrowed into its cliff — it almost seems like a mirage in a parched desert. If you want holy solitude, this is clearly the place.
The monks at St. George were very camera-shy. They didn’t want to be “actors.” While they sang to us beautifully off-camera, they told us that filming rooms with just candles was enough.
The monks at St. George were very camera-shy. They didn’t want to be “actors.” While they sang to us beautifully off-camera, they told us that filming rooms with just candles was enough.

I’ll continue this Holy Land series until November 21st. Then, to celebrate my homecoming, I’ll give a live, free slideshow lecture on Thursday, November 21st at 7 p.m. P.S.T. in Edmonds, Washington. You can attend in person (registration required)…or watch the live webcast from anywhere in the world (no registration required). Learn more at Rick Steves – Holy Land: Israel and Palestine Today.

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Bedouins in Palestine — Nomads with a Permanent Address

The Judean Desert offers some of Palestine’s most dramatic and evocative scenery. Vast and arid, it’s home to herds of camels, raised for their milk and meat. And it’s home to nomadic Bedouin tribes. Scattered through the Palestinian countryside, like timeless limpets, are the scrappy shacks and goat corrals of Bedouin tribes. These proud families live off the grid with, I would imagine, a near-zero carbon footprint. Yet, like nomads around the world, they are being driven into a world where people have addresses and send their children to school to learn the prevailing values of that society at large. With the political tensions between Israel and Palestine (the walls, settlements, freeway construction, and aggressive water politics), I was told that Bedouin camps are now less mobile and stick to land near roads where they can tap into water mains. After so many centuries, more and more Bedouin families are finally settling down in towns and villages.

While hardscrabble communities still eke out an off-the-grid existence, their way of life — like most nomadic communities — is dying. With their ability to roam free disappearing and access to water more and more limited, they are, by necessity, evolving.
While hardscrabble communities still eke out an off-the-grid existence, their way of life — like most nomadic communities — is dying. With their ability to roam free disappearing and access to water more and more limited, they are, by necessity, evolving.
While settling down, many Bedouin families are maintaining their traditions as much as a nomad with a roof over their head can. Water is treasured. Goats are still a source of income. And they’re branching out into agriculture by necessity.
While settling down, many Bedouin families are maintaining their traditions as much as a nomad with a roof over their head can. Water is treasured. Goats are still a source of income. And they’re branching out into agriculture by necessity.
Watching the man of the house roast coffee with a reverence for tradition is mesmerizing. Observing him at work, it was clear to me that the dignity of these people and their closeness to the land is emblematic of Palestinians in general. And tasting the coffee as if sealing a new friendship, I, too, became closer to the land.
Watching the man of the house roast coffee with a reverence for tradition is mesmerizing. Observing him at work, it was clear to me that the dignity of these people and their closeness to the land is emblematic of Palestinians in general. And tasting the coffee as if sealing a new friendship, I, too, became closer to the land.

I’ll continue this Holy Land series until November 21st. Then, to celebrate my homecoming, I’ll give a live, free slideshow lecture on Thursday, November 21st at 7 p.m. P.S.T. in Edmonds, Washington. You can attend in person (registration required)…or watch the live webcast from anywhere in the world (no registration required). Learn more at Rick Steves – Holy Land: Israel and Palestine Today.