Ramallah

Ramallah is a lovely city in the central West Bank, Palestine. It sits in the beautiful Judaean Mountains, about 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem. Ramallah is the main city for the area and the capital of the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate.

The modern city of Ramallah began in the 1500s when an Arab Christian group settled there. Over time, many different groups ruled the area, including the Ottoman Empire, British Mandatory Palestine, Transjordan, and later Israel. Today, since 1995, it is led by the Palestinian Authority.

Ramallah is now an important place for politics, culture, and business. It has many government offices, museums, and cultural spots. While most people in Ramallah now follow Muslim traditions, there are still Christians living there too.

A City With History

Ramallah was founded in the 1500s by the Hadadeens, an Arab Christian group. The city has old remains from earlier times, like ancient rock-cut tombs. Some buildings in Ramallah have stones from the time of Herod the Great. Pieces of pottery from different periods, like the Crusader and Ottoman times, have also been found there.

A Pleasant Climate

Ramallah has a Mediterranean climate. This means it has dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Sometimes it even snows a little. The city gets about 615 mm (24 in) of rain each year, but this can vary.