Battir

The city of Battir with the characteristic stone terraces in the foreground

Battir ( Arabic بتير, DMG Battīr ; Hebrew : Betar ) is a south-west of Jerusalem location Palestinian who for since 2014 settlement, UNESCO World Heritage Site belongs. Around 4,500 people live in the city.

location

Agriculture in Battir

Battir is located in the West Bank , 6.4 kilometers west of Bethlehem and south-west of Jerusalem in the central highlands.

history

The first traces of a settlement of today's Battir go back to the Iron Age . The Romans also left their mark on Battir, for example by installing irrigation systems. In the immediate vicinity of Battir are the ruins of the Betar fortress , which are still partially visible today, and when they were stormed by Roman troops, the Bar Kochba uprising (132 to 135 AD) led by Simon bar Kochba came to an end.

As a result of the Israeli-Arab war in 1948 and the final armistice in 1949 , Battir was divided by the armistice line, with a third of the area on the Israeli side. Negotiations enabled the residents of Battir to be granted the special right to cross the border and enter the Israeli district. This right is threatened today by the construction of a barrier wall that Israel and the West Bank should divide according to Israeli will and thereby would also divide Battir. After a lawsuit against the planned wall, an Israeli court ruled that the Defense Ministry had to submit an alternative plan for the wall's course.

The nearby Israeli settlement in the West Bank , founded in 1985 , Betar Illit ( German : Upper Betar ), took its name from this fortress that was formerly located near Battir.

Agriculture

Since Battir is located in the highlands , agricultural use has always been difficult, so innovative ideas developed to cultivate the region. For this purpose, for example, the characteristic stone terraces were carved into the stone in order to obtain flat cultivation areas. In addition, a sophisticated irrigation system was created that made it possible to grow crops . This infrastructure made it possible, for example, to grow olives and vegetables in the Battir region.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

In 2014 Battir was included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and at the same time placed on the list of World Heritage Sites in danger. Battir is part of the World Heritage Site Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines - Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem . UNESCO particularly emphasized the stone terraces and the irrigation system, as well as the historical importance and the multitude of cultures that have left their traces in the region, as reasons for designating it as a World Heritage Site.

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c UNESCO World Heritage - Battir - cultural landscape in a contested area . In: Deutschlandfunk . ( deutschlandfunk.de [accessed on March 7, 2018]).
↑ Google Maps. Retrieved March 7, 2018 .
^ Israeli Supreme Court rules against separation wall in Battir. Retrieved March 7, 2018 .
^ ^A ^b Isabel Kershner: Palestinian Village Tries to Protect Landmark . In: The New York Times . June 25, 2012, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 7, 2018]).
↑ ^a ^b UNESCO World Heritage Center: Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines - Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir. Accessed March 7, 2018 (English).

31.724722 35.136667Coordinates: 31 ° 43 ' N , 35 ° 8' E

[:0-1] UNESCO World Heritage - Battir - cultural landscape in a contested area . In: Deutschlandfunk . ( deutschlandfunk.de [accessed on March 7, 2018]).

[2] Google Maps. Retrieved March 7, 2018 .

[3] Israeli Supreme Court rules against separation wall in Battir. Retrieved March 7, 2018 .

[:2-4] A ^b Isabel Kershner: Palestinian Village Tries to Protect Landmark . In: The New York Times . June 25, 2012, ISSN 0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed March 7, 2018]).

[:1-5] UNESCO World Heritage Center: Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines - Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir. Accessed March 7, 2018 (English).