31 30 Al-Bariyah – a Unique Habitat Zone A Potential World Heritage Site By Hamdan Taha l-Bariyah, identified with the wilderness, is a semi-arid zone that extends east of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the Hebron central hills to the west to the shore of the Dead Sea. Most of the al-Bariyah area is classified as Irano-Turanian in climate, with a mountainous desert habitat. Essentially a treeless, thin-soiled, arid, and dramatically eroding limestone plateau, it is dissected by wadis that drain towards the Dead Sea. This region lies in the rain- shadow of the central highlands, classified as a hot area that receives very low annual rainfall, varying between 400 mm and 150 mm from west to east, respectively. Its unique geological formation and bio- geographic location, as well as the abundance of water from flash floods and permanent springs, help to create a natural diversity of the desert habitat in this region. Accordingly, al-Bariyah is classified as one of the most important bird areas, according to the criteria of Birdlife International. Birds increasingly concentrate here in considerable numbers during breeding and in passage. In winter, especially, al-Bariyah is one of the major migration routes for many bird species worldwide. Al-Bariyah is rich in cultural heritage features as well. Archaeological investigations have shown continuous occupation in different parts of the area, extending from the Lower Palaeolithic period to modern times. Prehistoric remains were uncovered at ‘Iraq al- Ahmar, Umm Qal’a, and Umm Qatafa on the north side of Wadi Khareiton. However, the prehistoric cave of Qatafa has a particular significance since it provides the earliest archaeological evidence of domestication of fire in Palestine and the whole Middle East. Evidence of human settlement was attested in several sites during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, showing early evidence of copper industry. The Palestinian Department of Antiquities recently excavated a series of tombs from the Early Bronze Age and Middle Bronze Age at the cemetery of Khallet al-Bad, near Al-Obayyat, east of Bethlehem and five kilometres west of Tell al-Fureidis. During the early Roman era, Tell al-Fureidis was identified with the ancient Herodion fortress, located five kilometres southeast of Bethlehem city. Herod the Great built it between 24 and 15 BC as a castle-palace complex. It Photo from Palestine Image Bank. Today, al-Bariyah is one of twenty sites that have been nominated to be enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is proposed as an important cultural landscape due to its strategic location. It is also notably associated with Jesus and the early Christian era and has a significant number of monasteries and Islamic maqams (shrines). Mar Saba. Photo courtesy of Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.