Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town

country. Palestine (Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank)

year of inscription. 2017

criteria. Cultural

The Old Town of Hebron is located in the city of Hebron in the governorate of the same name. Its construction during the Mamluk period between 1250CE and 1517CE is characterised by the use of a local limestone. Central to this WHS is the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque or Tomb of the Patriarchs, which is a compound built in the 1st century CE to protect the tombs of the patriarch Abraham (Ibrahim) and his family. The town was at the crossroads of trade routes in the region, and is also important pilgrimage site for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is also marked with an urban morphology based on ethnic, religious, and professional groupings as well as houses with rooms organised in a tree-shaped system.

Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem

country. Palestine (Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank)

year of inscription. 2012

criteria. Cultural

This WHS is located in the governorate of Bethlehem, on the site which, since the 2nd century CE, has been traditionally regarded by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus. A church was originally constructed there in 339CE, and after a fire, a replacement building was erected in the 6th century CE, incorporating the original’s floor mosaics. With the addition of other buildings in later years, the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem today is a complex of ecclesiastical and other buildings. The church is at the eastern end of a traditional pilgrimage route beginning from Jerusalem, and the part of the route included in this WHS begins from the traditional entrance of Bethlehem.

Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls

country. Listed by UNESCO as "Jerusalem (Site proposed by Jordan)"

year of inscription. 1981

criteria. Cultural

The Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls is a 0.9km2 walled area in East Jerusalem, in the city of Jerusalem. It is a holy city for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and contain 220 historic monuments, including places of worship and sacred sites of the three religions. The current city walls were built by Sultan Suleiman I (1494CE – 1566CE) of the Ottoman Empire, and includes city gates built before, along with, and after the construction of the current walls.

The political status of the WHS (and the part of Jerusalem – East Jerusalem – it is located in) remains in dispute. Under the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine (1947), Jerusalem was to be an international city. However, after Arab-Israeli War I (1948), the city was occupied by and divided between Israel and Jordan, with the former controlling the western parts of the city and the latter, the eastern portion, which came to be known as East Jerusalem. In 1967, following Arab-Israeli War III (1967), East Jerusalem was taken over by Israel and eventually incorporated into the rest of Jerusalem, a move largely opposed by the international community. The United Nations regards East Jerusalem as part of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, while Palestinian authorities consider it to be the capital of a future independent Palestine.

On the UNESCO WHS website, the space for listing the State Party for the WHS is listed as “Jerusalem (Site proposed by Jordan)” and location is “Jerusalem District”; this is the name of the Israeli administrative division including East Jerusalem, which the Palestinian National Authority includes as part of its governorate of Jerusalem.

Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba

where. Israel
what. postcard received (Germany, 2020)