Often called “The green heart of Palestine”, this magnificent scenery of the Battir Hills is located a few kilometers southwest of Jerusalem in the mountainous lands between Nablus and Hebron. The landscape displays a series of agricultural valleys. Battir village has been occupied since the iron age and was inhabited during the byzantine and Omayyad ruling. The valleys known as “wadi” are characterized by stone terraces, some of which are irrigated for the production of legumes, while others are dry and cultivated vineyards and olive trees. The development of these cultivated terraces, in a highly mountainous environment, was based on a network of irrigation canals fed by groundwater sources. The water collected through this network is distributed according to a traditional and equitable distribution system among the families of Battir village located close to this cultural landscape. The value of this marvelous landscape lies in the ingenuity of the traditional irrigation system supplied by the underground sources which is still operating as it did traditionally. This technological achievement is a testimony to the cleverness of traditional communities that were able to tame a natural and very mountainous environment. This village reveals one of the oldest farming methods. The scene of Al Battir bears witness to an egalitarian system of water distribution. The Battir cultural landscape encompasses ancient terraces, archaeological sites, rock-cut tombs, agricultural towers, and most importantly an intact water system, represented by a collection pool, channels, and many more. The integrity of this traditional water system is guaranteed by the families of Battir.
