Its ideal landscape calls to mind the paradise lost, said to have been King Solomon's garden, which was said to have inspired The Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon, in the Old Testament “A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits;" (Song of Solomon 4:12-13). The name Artas, more recent, is derived from the Latin hortus, or "garden". N
owadays, the Convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden and the Convent Hortus Conclusus symbolically associate the image of Mary with her virginity and fertility. Located just above the mosque, is The Artas Folklore Centre which was created to preserve the local rural heritage and contributes to the preservation of customs and traditional practices, by producing documents on Palestinian culture and collecting archives. The Palestinian Ethnographic Centre (museum) is a fascinating part of the project. It is responsible for several old houses, recently renovated, on a site inhabited for thousands of years. In addition to a tour of the homes and museum, the Centre will also serve a traditional Palestinian meal and organize an evening with folk music and dancing (for a minimum of 10 people). The Artas Lettuce Festival takes place every year from March 21 to April 11, featuring Palestinian Dabka (folk dancing) contests and horse races. A Stroll in Wadi Artas, from Qal'at al-Buraq to Herodion
Spring is without question the best season for a walk in Wadi Artas, when the scenery is at its greenest and flowers are everywhere. It is an easy three-kilometre walk in the wadi to Solomon's Pools. Between the second and third pool, one finds the old pumping stations first installed by the Germans, and then by the British at the beginning of the last century. The road traverses a hill where there are ruins of a Roman village called Khirbet al-Khoch, which some think was the biblical village of Etam. Every spring, the centre organizes day excursions to al-Buraq and Herodion or half-day excursions to the nearby mountains. (For details: -Artas Folklore Centre - Tel/fax: 02-276 7467).
