About six kilometers northwest of Hebron the largest nature reserve in the West Bank has been preserved its beauty and the lushness of its trees dates back hundreds of years ago. The area maintained its greenery despite the fact that no new trees were planted since the Ottoman era.
Wadi al-Qaf is a protected area of 4600 dunums of the state’s land. The cultivated area is about 2800 dunums according to the estimates of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. The nature reserve is surrounded by several villages. It is located to the West of Tarqumiya and the town of Beit Ula and to the southeast of Hebron.
As one looks out from the hills of western Hebron he views a mountainous valley full of various kinds of trees including pine cedar oak and hawthorn among others.
The dense trees became a safe haven for many migratory birds and butterflies. The place is blessed with the fresh air that carries the sound of multiple kinds of birds which gets through the thick branches of pines where one could relax. In the deep valley fresh water flows through farms planted there.
Although the ground of the reserve is covered with many limestone rocks these scattered rocks embrace the extended red soil basins that retain the water in winter; many wild herbs and beautiful flowers have been planted. Many medicinal plants such as mermaids thyme chamomile and bush grow up there.
These plants are picked up by farmers and people who spend their time at the reserve. For some these plants became a source of livelihood and material gain. Some people and farmers who spend their time at the reserve pick them up. They put them in large canvas bags and then go to the markets of Hebron to sell them to people who are eagerly looking for them because they only grow up in the mountainous areas.
The reserve is a fertile pasture for Palestinian livestock especially from the town of Tarqumiya. Thousands of sheep owned by Palestinians from neighboring villages graze in the reserve.
Shepherds rest under the shadow of the trees as their flocks graze in the fertile land. They sing traditional songs using the traditional Palestinian musical instrument Shababah (flute).
National Park
Hebron Municipality decided to make part of the reserve a national park that serves the residents of the governorate who are trapped by the Israeli settlements that surround them. The settlement construction has restricted their movement especially since this large reserve is under Palestinian control and government lands can be used as a nature reserve.
Mohammed Omran al-Qawasmi a member of the Hebron Municipality Council noted that the establishment of a national park within the Wadi Qaf area would serve the residents of the Hebron governorate and would be an outlet for them at a time of the closure of large areas of Palestinian land.
Al-Qawasmi said in an interview with the PIC reporter that the engineering department in the municipality of Hebron is working on preparing the necessary plans for this project which will serve the Palestinian people without affecting the forest area.
The area of the Wadi Qaf serves as a tourist attraction especially in the spring and summer seasons. Furthermore groups of school students and scientific delegations from universities and institutes come to visit and conduct studies on its herbs birds insects and butterflies.
