Abu Ghosh

Thirteen kilometers west of Jerusalem lies the Arab village of Abu Ghosh. In the 18th century Sheikh Abu Ghosh required pilgrims to pay a toll here as they traveled to Jerusalem; the town was the last of a series of caravan stops en route to the Holy City. The Arabs of the village have always maintained good relations with neighboring Jewish settlements, even during the 1948 War of Independence.

Christians and Jews alike revere Abu Ghosh as the original site of the Ark of the Covenant, which was moved by King David to Jerusalem. Notre Dame de PArche d’Alliance (Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant), on top of the hill, was built on the site of the ark. The current church was built in the 1920s on the footprint of a demolished Byzantine church; fragments of the old mosaic floors can still be seen. (Open daily 8:30-11:30am and 2:306pm.) The Caravan Inn on the road down to town offers great views (hummus NIS5).