Bal’a tunnel is located in an area between Nablus Jenin and Tulkarem. It dates back to the era of the Ottoman Empire maintaining its presence despite neglect and Israeli attempts of demolition.
The tunnel is 450 meters long and passes through a mountain in Bal’a 10 kilometers away from Tulkarem.
The tunnel was mainly used for the installation of railways during the Ottoman rule and it was the masterpiece of workers who did not have anything but simple tools according to Khaled Salem a tour guide speaking to the PIC.
“The tunnel is built on Roman ruins known as Rashin. Sultan Abdul Hamid II was obsessed by the idea of linking Istanbul and al-Hejaz (in Saudi Arabia for Haj purposes) using railways due to its countless benefits such as facilitating the movement of passengers coming from Turkey heading to Makkah through the Levant” he added.
According to Salem it took the tunnel more than 8 years from 1900 to 1908 to be accomplished where thousands of workers participated mostly civilians.
He who enters Bal’a tunnel can sense the enormous efforts exerted in building it through the perfection of every piece. Many German engineers put their own touch in this historic work; therefore the mixture between the eastern beauty and the western skill is obvious Salem pointed out.
Due to its historical nature the tunnel is one of the places that attract the attention of environmental specialists in addition to tourists to witness the beauty of nature mixed with cultural heritage.
