Ramallah...the city of exhibitions, theaters and parks

Ramallah became the capital of the Palestinian National Authority after the signing of the Oslo Peace Agreement (Ramallah)

A Palestinian city, located in the West Bank in the heart of historic Palestine. It is the temporary administrative capital of the Palestinian Authority, and is home to the headquarters of the presidency and most of the ministries. It is considered the cultural capital of the West Bank, and occupies the center of economic activity there. It is a tourist attraction and a famous summer resort. It is distinguished by the beauty of nature and the abundance of museums, art galleries, theaters and parks. 

Location and geography

The city of Ramallah is located in the West Bank, on the hills of the northern Jerusalem mountain plateau, in the heart of historical Palestine, where it lies in the middle of the Palestinian mountain range extending from north to south. It is also located in an intermediate area between the Jordan Valley to the east and the Palestinian coastal plain to the west.

The highlands in the Ramallah region are characterized by moderation, as their height is lower compared to the northern highlands, and their highest peaks reach about 860 meters above sea level. The mountain range in the region increases in breadth to take the form of a wide plateau, interspersed with many low-slope valleys, in addition to natural paths and outlets for transportation and movement. .

The city of Ramallah extends over an area of ​​approximately 20 square kilometers, and it forms with the city of Al-Bireh a single geographical unit, as they were two neighboring villages. They continued to expand and expand until they connected and overlapped in the streets and squares, so they were merged into one governorate called “Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate.” Its center is the city of Ramallah.

the climate

The city of Ramallah enjoys a moderate, semi-humid climate, belonging to the Mediterranean region. Summers are long, warm and dry, and winters are cold and rainy, and snow falls sometimes as temperatures drop.

Temperatures range throughout the year, mostly between 5 and 29 degrees Celsius, and are rarely less than one degree Celsius, or higher than 32 degrees Celsius, and the average annual precipitation is about 600 mm.

Importance

The city of Ramallah enjoys a distinctive location, as it is in the middle of historic Palestine, and is the northern gateway to the city of Jerusalem. It gained special importance and flourished following the Oslo Accords in 1993, under which the Palestinian National Authority was formed, which took over the administration of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and made the city of Ramallah the capital. Its temporary administration, and the city became the district headquarters (the headquarters of the presidency), most of the ministries, the Legislative Council, and the general headquarters of the security apparatus.

The city is characterized by an active cultural and artistic life, due to the diversity of its cultural and social fabric, and is famous for its abundance of museums, art galleries, theaters and parks, and for hosting festivals, seminars, conferences and exhibitions.

The presence of official and private institutions active in it, such as the Popular Art Center, the Edward Said Institute of Music, the City Municipality’s Cultural Palace, the Baladna Cultural Center, the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, the Palestinian Foundation for Contemporary Art, and the French-German Cultural Center, contributed to this.

Label

The name "Ramallah", according to the most famous sayings, goes back to the Canaanite origin "Ram", which means the high area. Then the Arabs later added the word majesty to it, so it became "Ramallah", and perhaps it means "the heights of God", or "God wanted" or "he intended". God".

The region bore the name “Ramallah” ages ago, but the time at which it began to be used is not known with certainty. It is stated in ancient manuscripts that it was used during the Crusades, and it is stated in established historical narratives that the Arab “Haddaddin” tribe came in late In the sixteenth century, they moved to the region and settled in a village or forest called “Ramallah.”

Population

The population of Ramallah is about 44 thousand people (according to estimates by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for the year 2023). The city is historically considered a Christian majority area, but the internal migrations that occurred in the wake of the Israeli occupation in 1948 brought about a major change in the city’s demographic fabric.

In the 1990s, the city's transformation into the administrative headquarters of the Palestinian Authority and a major economic center led to a new stimulus to internal migration, this time mostly economically motivated, which further diversified the city's demographic composition, which nevertheless remained characterized by a prominent Christian minority.

Economy

Ramallah is an important economic center in the West Bank, and a competitive labor market that provides many government and private job opportunities, compared to other cities in the West Bank. This has been helped by the concentration of most international agencies and government offices there and many private institutions.

Its central location and its possession of a network of paved roads linking it to all cities, in addition to the development of urbanization there and the establishment of commercial centers, telecommunications companies, banks and insurance companies, helped transform it into an attractive center for commercial activities and investments.

The city also represents a semi-industrial center, as many small factories were established there, such as: pharmaceutical, cardboard, furniture, food, and soap factories, in addition to many handicrafts and traditional crafts. The industrial environment in the city played an important role in providing many job opportunities.

The city has the beauty of nature, a moderate climate, and a mountainous location overlooking the diverse terrain between hills, valleys, and plains, which made it a national resort and a popular tourist attraction. Tourism has helped stimulate the movement of trade and industry, as hotels, restaurants, commercial markets, and exhibitions that market products have spread, and factories have been built that... Serving tourism activity.

The city is also famous for its fertile lands and springs of water, and is surrounded by lands planted with fruit trees, such as olives, figs, and grape vines, in addition to vegetables and grains.

the date

Human settlements arose in the Ramallah region and its surroundings in prehistoric times. Excavations confirm that the region was inhabited since the Canaanite era. Archaeological evidence indicates settlement, often dating back to the agricultural style, in the Bronze and Iron Ages, and that the region was also inhabited during periods of civilization. Hellenistic, Byzantine and early Islamic.

Although evidence of settlement in the Ramallah area was proven, historical documents in ancient times did not mention it, as until the Islamic conquests it was just a small mountain village, and during the Crusades it was an agricultural colony for the Crusaders called “Ramli”. By the end of the thirteenth century AD, the Crusaders were completely defeated from the Levant, and at that time the colony was devoid of its inhabitants, and it continued that way for nearly three centuries.

Ottoman administration

It was revived again during the Ottoman era, by the leader of one of the Jordanian Christian clans called “Rashid Haddadin”, who emigrated from his country following disputes with the tribe dominating the Karak region in which he lived, and settled in Palestine in the late 16th century AD, and bought the ruin that was called "Ramallah", which was distinguished by its forests, springs, and pleasant climate.

During the Ottoman rule, “Ramallah” was a small agricultural village affiliated with the Jerusalem District. A simple life prevailed, governed by Arab tribal and clan values. Most of its residents were from the Greek Orthodox sect. Despite the close ties between its residents, the relations between Christians and Muslims there were not without some differences. Tensions, until Christians took complete control of the village, following the departure of Muslims from it in the middle of the seventeenth century.

The village began to grow and become more important, until in 1902 it became the center of the neighboring villages, and became the headquarters of the district director. A magistrate court and Sharia court were established there. It became a destination for the residents of the region to conduct their official transactions, and it also became a center for marketing agricultural products and various goods.

In 1910, the Ramallah Municipality was established, and its work extended to include neighboring villages. It built roads, provided lighting and water, worked to develop the region, carry out administrative and organizational reforms, and address the residents’ social, health, and security problems.

British Mandate

In 1917, the British entered the town, and there was a German barracks there. Skirmishes took place between the English on one side and the Turks and Germans on the other. The British forces were able to win the battle, and the Turks were forced to withdraw from the village, and at that time Ramallah entered under the British mandate.

In the summer of 1920, Palestine officially entered under the authority of the Mandate, and the residents of Ramallah during that period became involved in the revolutions that took place throughout Palestine, in protest against British policies and their facilitation of the process of Judaizing Palestine. Ramallah was preparing the revolutions with men and supplies, and its cause was a fervent revolution against The British arrested many of the city's notables for supporting the revolution, and others were exiled.

After the decision to partition Palestine was issued in 1947, the city’s residents established the “Armed Youth” movement, which built small fortresses, defended the town from the Zionist gangs, and also participated in the fighting on other fronts. In the 1948 war, resistance continued in Ramallah, and its residents confronted the Zionist gangs that attempted to storm the town.

Jordanian rule

After the end of the war, Ramallah, like other cities in the West Bank, became affiliated with the government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Palestinian immigrants who were forcibly expelled from their cities and villages flocked to the town in large numbers, especially from the cities of Lydda and Ramla and the villages around them. Their population increased exponentially, and the majority of them became from immigrants, and this led to a significant change in demographics.

During Jordanian rule, the town expanded, and a number of schools were established, the Ramallah Municipal Park, and a mosque affiliated with the Islamic Endowments Department were established. By the early 1960s, the city turned into a district center governed by a governor, after it had been a district center during the British Mandate era.

Israeli occupation

In 1967, Ramallah fell under the Israeli occupation, which also took control of the city of Jerusalem, separated it administratively from the rest of the West Bank cities, and divided the West Bank into six districts. The Ramallah District became the headquarters of the Israeli leadership in the West Bank, and many of the government offices and departments that had been previously occupied were transferred to it. Based in Jerusalem.

During its control over the city, the occupation authorities established a number of settlements on their lands and the lands of their villages, and began to practice their racist policies towards the population, including confiscating lands, demolishing homes, imposing restrictions and taxes, killing, imprisonment, abuse, expulsion, exclusion from jobs, and bans on travel.

Under these circumstances, the city's urban development, which had witnessed increasing prosperity since the third decade of the twentieth century, slowed down.

Palestinian Authority

After the signing of the Oslo Peace Agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel in 1993, the city became subject to the National Authority, and in December 1995, the occupation army withdrew from the district, and its forces retreated from the city center to its outskirts.

The city flourished relatively in the period between 1995 and 2000, and with the passage of time, it became clear that many of the peace promises were not fulfilled, as the occupation army remained in control of all the areas surrounding the city, and the residents did not have freedom of movement, even to the city of Jerusalem, which is about 15 kilometers away. The occupation authorities do not allow entry to Jerusalem except with special permits, which are obtained with great difficulty.

The Israeli authorities increased the confiscation of lands for the benefit of the Israeli settlements, which expanded significantly around Ramallah, and the network of bypass roads designated for the use of the Jewish population led to the isolation of many areas of the city from their natural environment. These conditions also increased the high rates of unemployment among Palestinians.

In September 2000, the Al-Aqsa Intifada broke out, and the residents of Ramallah participated in anti-occupation demonstrations. Then the marches turned into an armed confrontation, and the occupation dug the roads leading to Ramallah, established checkpoints to restrict the movement of Palestinians in both directions, and began launching air strikes that caused the death of... Many city residents were injured.

Israel launched an operation called “Operation Defensive Shield” in 2002, during which it imposed a comprehensive curfew in the city, and many Palestinian institutions, including the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, government ministries, non-governmental organizations, human rights institutions, schools and shopping centers, were vandalized and looted, and the power was cut off. Electricity, daily life was disrupted, and social and economic conditions deteriorated. After the end of the operation, which lasted more than a month, the occupation forces withdrew from the city, and Israel subsequently built the separation wall.

Over the following years, the occupation authorities continued their racist policies against the Palestinians in Ramallah, which include the expansion of settlements, closures, and restrictions on travel and movement between cities due to Israeli barriers and checkpoints, which increases the burden of the citizen and doubles the pressures of political, economic, and social life. The forces also implement... The occupation carried out continuous raids on the city and raids on homes, property, and shops, accompanied by arrests, military clashes, and loss of life and property.

In conjunction with its aggression against Gaza, in the wake of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle launched by the Palestinian resistance on October 7, 2023 against the settlements surrounding Gaza, the occupation forces intensified their incursions into the city of Ramallah and other West Bank cities, and carried out massive incursions, accompanied by military clashes. It resulted in casualties and injuries among Palestinians. It also raided homes and launched a campaign of arrests of citizens.

Highlights

The city of Ramallah includes prominent historical and tourist attractions, the most important of which are:

• The Old City: It contains a group of historical monuments dating back to different eras, some of which were established in the Crusader era, such as: the Frankish Tower and the press. Some of them date back to Islamic times, such as the Ottoman court and the cannon station.

• Khirbet al-Tira: One of the most important historical landmarks in the city. It contains the remains of a church whose floor is paved with mosaics, and includes the bases of columns and cisterns carved into the rock.

• Khallet Al-Adas: It includes many Roman graves carved into rock, and ancient walls dating back to the Iron Age.

• Khan Al-Laban: It dates back to the Islamic era, and was an Ottoman station for commercial caravans.

Source: Al Jazeera