The Palestine Hotel, Nablus
Sitting in the University Library at Cambridge, reading the sculptor Eric Gill’s diaries of his trip to Palestine in 1934 (he had been commissioned by the architect Austen St. Barbe … Continue reading
Gazan writers denied UK entry
It can, of course, be taken as read that the UK Border Agency are utter bastards, but that doesn’t stop me getting very, very angry at individual cases. Here’s the … Continue reading
RIP Rabea
A few hours ago the Freedom Theatre in Jenin put out this short statement: The Freedom Theatre mourns the death of one of our graduated Acting School students, the brave … Continue reading
Overheard on a train
On the subject of holidaying in Bulgaria: “oh yes, there’s loads to do there. It’s almost like Blackpool”. Which leads me to wonder…?
Seeing the Alhambra
The Alhambra (al-Qasr al-Hamra) in Granada is one of the most stunning buildings in the world. Its late-Islamic Andalucian decorations are breathtaking in their intricacy and delicacy, and the newly-renovated … Continue reading
Spain and Syria: graffiti
It may be easy to forget in modern Spain, but Franco’s dictatorship and the civil war are really not that far in the past; certainly General Franco was in power … Continue reading
Liptons on the ceiling
A recent conversation with a friend reminded me of this photo, which I took three years ago: It shows the ceiling of the ground floor of the bus station in … Continue reading
New article: Rebuilding Jordan's desert castles
The Arab Review, 27th June 2012 With reconstruction work in full swing, the setting inside the palace is as strange as the view from outside. The elegant green marble pillars … Continue reading
Tourism, gentrification and the planned demise of Palestinian Akka
The Guardian ran this sad piece by Harriet Sherwood yesterday, documenting the ongoing gentrification and de-Arabisation of the beautiful old city of Akka. Sherwood says: According to Arab activists in … Continue reading
Independent travel in Palestine
This month’s Wanderlust magazine features a full-length piece on independent travel in Palestine, written by Matthew Teller, author of the Rough Guide to Jordan and a seemingly unending list of … Continue reading
New article: A guide to Nablus
From Red Pepper magazine, February 2012 Leaving behind Ramallah and Bethlehem, with their expat communities and religious tour groups, what of the West Bank’s other cities? Sleepy desert Jericho? Hebron, … Continue reading
Conserving the Ain Ghazal statues
From the Visit Madaba twitter feed, this is an intriguing (if you have archaeology geek tendencies) video on the conservation of the Ain Ghazal statues from Jordan. These wonderful, spooky, … Continue reading
Bradt Palestine reviewed in Wanderlust
A lovely review of the Bradt Guide to Palestine appears in the February 2012 issue of Wanderlust, so many thanks to the amazing Dervla Murphy (I never thought when I … Continue reading
Bradt Guide to Palestine in GLW
The Bradt Guide to Palestine was listed as one of Green Left Weekly’s top choices for summer reading (this is an Australian publication!). Many thanks to Patrick Harrison, who recently … Continue reading
Getting around the West Bank
“Tube shmube and urban planning patooie”, says Sara, a volunteer teacher in Nablus. “There is nowhere easier to get around than the West Bank. I know – hugely unexpected and … Continue reading
Sarah Irving 