The Terraces of Battir

The village of Battir, in the hills southwest of Jerusalem, is surrounded by one of the most beautiful and time-honoured agricultural landscapes in the region, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Down its steep valley slopes descend intricate dry-stone terraces, cultivated for millennia and famous for their vegetables, watered by an ingenious ancient irrigation system fed by springs and Roman-era channels that villagers still share by a traditional rota. Olive groves, vines and orchards clothe the hills, and old footpaths wind between them. Green, tranquil and deeply rooted in tradition, Battir is a living picture of Palestinian hill farming and a lovely place to walk.

What you actually see

• The stone terraces - the ancient dry-stone farming terraces.
• The Roman irrigation - the age-old spring-fed water channels.
• The olive groves - the hills of olives, vines and orchards.
• The footpaths - the old trails winding through the valley.

When to go

Spring, roughly March to May, is loveliest, when the terraces are green and the hills bright with blossom and wildflowers, while autumn brings the olive harvest and mild walking weather. These seasons avoid the summer heat and show the living landscape at its best.

Honest expectations

Battir is a gentle, pastoral landscape to be walked and savoured slowly rather than a single grand monument, so it rewards those who enjoy quiet countryside and traditional rural life. As a beautiful UNESCO World Heritage valley of ancient stone terraces and living irrigation, a picture of time-honoured hill farming, though, it is a genuinely special and peaceful place.

Nearby

Bethlehem, the hills around Jerusalem and other terraced villages lie nearby.