Place

Bethlehem, Palestine
The Turath Center is located in historic Bethlehem, in the heart of the old town and just a two-minute walk from the Church of the Nativity at Manger Square. The location of the house is in the Al-Anatreh Quarter, on a short pedestrian street just off Milk Grotto Street.

The Turath Center enjoys a special relationship with the Municipality of Bethlehem whose Mayor, The Honorable Hanna J. Nasser, was one of the Turath Center’s early supporters.

Bethlehem, the localities of Beit Sahour, Beit Jala and surrounding areas are world-famous for the production of Olive Wood and Mother of Pearl handicrafts; the Turath Center is centrally located to support an area network of more than 300 producers.

Project

The Turath Center project was conceived by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, andit was developed in conjunction with the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Market Access Program to support and promote the development of the Palestinian handicrafts industry and to provide them with improved access to international markets.

Turath Center aims to increase market competitiveness, quality standards and productivity as well as to build capacity in the Palestinian handicraft sector. Turath Center will also promote Palestinian cultural heritage through showcasing and marketing of arts and design in a wide variety of product categories.

Turath Center’s mission is to become the principal address for Palestinian handicrafts. From opening day on September 30, 2003, Turath Center will house a quality control, packaging and shipping department. Business support services, including financial facilitation, order and inventory management, design and marketing will be provided to qualified producers.

Grand Opening

The Turath Center for Palestinian Arts, Crafts and Design, was officially opened on September 30th 2003 and was followed by a three day Turath Center arts and crafts fair on Manger Square.

Under the patronage of His Beatitude Michele Sabbah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, the opening ceremony was attended by over 150 guests both local and international. Honored guests included Mr. Hanna Nasser, the Mayor of Bethlehem, Sir Rateb Rabie, KHS President of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF), Mr. Timothy Rothermel the Special Representative of the Secretary General (UNDP), and Larry Garber, Mission Director of the USAID Mission to the West Bank and Gaza, and Mr. Said Abu Hijleh, Chief of Party, USAID Market Access Program / DAI as well as many leaders of the Palestinian private sector and the Diplomatic Corps in Jerusalem and Ramallah,

With speeches from the principle partners namely; the Latin Patriarchate, the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, the UNDP and USAID, the importance of the Turath center as a project was highly emphasized. It is collectively marketing Palestinian handicrafts in the international market and to providing the hundreds of handicrafts workshops through Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour with needed income in these difficult times.

Following the opening speeches, invitees took quick tours of the Center and then made their way to the Nativity Square to spend some time at the Turath Center sponsored Arts and Crafts Fair. The Fair lasted for three days with up to 20 handicraft producers exhibiting and selling their products.