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3 years
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👤About Me
I was born and raised in the Netherlands, got married to Tariq and moved to Beit Safafa, a town between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, in 2013. I studied at the Bethlehem Bible College and at the School for Tourism in Jerusalem. I have a tour guide license from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism as well as from the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism. My tours are a mix of history, religion, traditions, culture, nature and whenever possible I like to include local cuisine! I am happy to put you in touch with locals and I will try to explain the sometimes complex reality here in a simple way. I understand people's needs and the customer is king when they go on a tour with me!
Languages
Experience
3 years
Professional Experience
Availability
Vehicle
Scan to Share
Areas of Expertise
Christian
I grew up in a Christian protestant family. I studied at the Bethlehem Bible College. Although I am looking through an agnostic lens today, with knowledge also about Islam and other religious traditions. I connect biblical stories with archaeology, landscape, traditions and local habits.
Political
I studied this geographic region both from the Palestinian as well as the Israeli narrative and that gave me a complete picture of today's reality.
Historical
As a lover of history, I am always reading and deepening my knowledge. The history of this part of the world is very interesting. All empires have wanted to rule this land bridge between different continents. And we can find the remains of their time in archaeology, architecture, language, in the habits and in the people!
Cultural
I am especially knowledgeable about the Palestinian cultural heritage and I can organize a program that combines different aspects of the cultural heritage, such as tatreez (embroidery), dabka, traditional ways of life, food etc
Food
If you want a food tour, I can take you to the old city and introduce you to many kinds of local delicacies. Or do you want a cooking class? I have connections!
All-inclusive
Actually my best tours include a little bit of everything: religion, history, architecture, archaeology, nature, heritage, food, people...
🧭Tours by this Guide
Nine Quarters of Jerusalem tour
On every tourist map you will find a division of the old city of Jerusalem into four quarters. But is it that black and white and straightforward? When did this division come into place? Who divided it and why? This tour is based on the book "Nine Quarters of Jerusalem", written by author Matthew Teller. During this tour we will cross through all the different quarters, but more importantly we will meet and learn about the diverse mosaic of cultural and religious communities in the old city. The Indian hospice, the Domari gypsies, the Sufi zawiyas, the Afro Palestinian community, the Karaite Jews, the Syriac community, the Copts, the Armenians and much more! This tour is about the 'living' city Jerusalem. It is about the people that inhabit it and about the cultural and religious diversity, united within Jerusalem's city walls. Minimum 5 participants (or minimum 300 dollar)
Water in Jerusalem tour (the hidden cisterns)
The ancient city of Jerusalem (NOT the same as the OLD city!) was built around the only natural water source, the Gihon spring. When the city and the number of inhabitants grew, they needed additional sources of water! The Romans introduced the aqueducts, bringing water from near Bethlehem to Jerusalem. And rainwater was one of the most important sources of water, collected in many cisterns, scattered around the old city! This tour will bring you to the Bethesda pools, the Struthion pool, the Helena pool and the Hezekiah pool. We will explore these mostly underground cisterns and discover sites that you would probably never have discovered on a regular visit to the old city! Of course we will also talk about everything related to water, in the past and in the present! And if you want, we can have a Palestinian lunch at the end of the tour, near to Hezekiah's pool, at the Heritage Museum of Wujoud Center. Minimum 5 participants (or minimum 300 dollar) plus 15 dollar for lunch
Mount of Olives Tour
We will start on the top of the Mount of Olives and we will visit the Ascension Chapel where you can decide whether you see the footprint of Jesus that he left during his ascension! We will also visit the Maqam (shrine) of Rabia al Adawiya (an 8th century AD Sufi mystic). Then we can see the place that is venerated as the site where Jesus taught his disciples to pray the Our Lord prayer. After that we will have an incredible view of the old city. Then we will start walking down and we will visit the Tombs of the Prophets, dug out into the chalk rocks, dating back to probably the 1st century BC. The next stop is at the Dominus Flevit church, a picturesque chapel built by the famous Franciscan architect Antonio Barluzzi, to remember that Jesus wept for Jerusalem. We will have some stunning views from here over the old city, with the Dome of the Rock as a shining land mark. Depending on the day of the week we can also visit the Russian Orthodox Mary Magdalene church with the golden onion shaped domes (open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning!) At the foot of the Mount of Olives we will visit the Gethsemane gardens and the Church of Agony (also known as the Church of All Nations). If we make it on time to the Tomb of Virgin Mary then we will definitely end our visit there. Minimum 6 people (or minimum 300 dollar)
Mount Zion tour
Just outside of the city walls there is a hill that has several important religious and historical sites! Mount Zion is named after the ancient 'Tzion' or fortress that according to the Biblical account was conquered by David. The ancient Canaanite city that David conquered was down the slope of the hill. Somehow the name of this ancient city moved up to the hill top. The stories that are associated with this hill are: the dormition of Mother Mary, the last supper of Jesus and his disciples, the denial of Jesus by Peter, the Pentecost (receiving the holy spirit) but also since Crusader times this place is venerated as the burial site of King David. We will talk about the history of Mount Zion, we will visit the Dormition Abbey, the Upper Room (Cenacle), the Tomb of David and the Saint Peter in Gallicantu church. And we will also visit a site that is very little known among people, but it may well have been the first church of the Apostles soon after Jesus' ascension! Minimum 6 participants (or minimum 300 dollar)