IN STEREO

Talking a bit about how [Battir] took the UNESCO World Heritage [title], the first thing was the Roman amphitheatres. I mean, how you see these terraces, all the area is like this. And the work is Roman. It was for the land – they took advantage of planting it, they harvested fruits and vegetables from it. I mean, it didn’t stay like those mountains, empty like that. The terraces are firstly so that soil doesn’t erode. I mean so it doesn’t become all rocks. Soil starts to slip, so it becomes all like veins. So the purpose of the terraces was to put soil in the land and to rehabilitate it, not to stay a wasteland. Wherever you go in Battir has a lot of terraces, [as] you see.

It's also known for its diversity of animals and birds. So you see birds in this area, and animals you don’t see in other areas of the country. The origin of the name Battir is ‘Beit Alteir’ – birds’ home. Because there are a lot. I mean, all the migratory birds come from outside to these areas, because it’s full of trees and water. So you see weird things here. You see the heron sometimes, you see ducks [and] geese. You also see the foxes. You see wolves, you see hyenas, you see pigs, you see… What else? The wild cat. You see the porcupine. You see jackals and ferrets. You see a lot of things, birds and different animals. – Mohammad