However, there were no Muslim inhabitants counted by the end of the century, with a recorded population of 287 adult male tax-payers. [84] A higher percentage of Christians in the region are urban-dwellers, which also makes it easier for them to emigrate and assimilate into western populations. Members of the clergy left the city, and in 1263 the town walls were demolished. Bethlehem is between Israel and Jordan, West of the River Jordan. The level of access varies based on Israeli security directives. [34][9], In 637, shortly after Jerusalem was captured by the Muslim armies, 'Umar ibn al-Khattb, the second Caliph, promised that the Church of the Nativity would be preserved for Christian use. [50] Many refugees from areas captured by Israeli forces in 194748 fled to the Bethlehem area, primarily settling in what became the official refugee camps of 'Azza (Beit Jibrin) and 'Aida in the north and Dheisheh in the south. He also noted that a lack of water crippled the town's growth. [77], In 1948, the religious makeup of the city was 85% Christian, mostly of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic denominations, and 13% Muslim. The grapes are grown mainly in the al-Khader district. [99] Tourism in Bethlehem ground to a halt for over a decade after the Second Intifada,[85] but gradually began to pick back up in the early 2010s. [24] In around 155, the apologist Justin Martyr recommended that those who doubted Jesus was really born in Bethlehem could go there and visit the very cave where he was supposed to have been born. Like many cities in Israel and Palestine, Bethlehem is biblically important to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.. For Jews, Bethlehem (Bet Lechem) is the burial place of the matriarch Rachel and the birthplace of King David.Additionally, Samuel anointed David as king of Israel in Bethlehem (I Sam. Its primary goals are to teach children music, train teachers for other schools, sponsor music research, and the study of Palestinian folklore music. Bethlehem. Bethlehem is famous for its biblically important to Judaism and Christianity. "[full citation needed], A burial ground discovered in spring 2013, and surveyed in 2015 by a joint Italian-Palestinian team found that the necropolis covered 3 hectares (more than 7 acres) and originally contained more than 100 tombs in use between roughly 2200 B.C. [117], Bethlehem work was unique in its use of couched gold or silver cord, or silk cord onto the silk, wool, felt or velvet used for the garment, to create stylized floral patterns with free or rounded lines. The Philistines later established a garrison there. [68], Bethlehem's average annual relative humidity is 60% and reaches its highest rates between January and February. Muslim rule continued in Bethlehem until its conquest in 1099 by a crusading army, who replaced the town's Greek Orthodox clergy with a Latin one. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Bethlehem (Israel). 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