The Sanctuary of Sheikh el-Qatrawani

The site of el-Qatrawani is a common saint-tomb from the Mamluk and Ottoman periods. It is built on the ruins of a Byzantine church dating to the 5th century AD. The Byzantine remains consisting of a church, cisterns and a wine-press belong to a monastery which was occupied apparently for a short period. The monastery is spatially related to the Byzantine settlements of Atara, Tarfin and Birzeit. It is interesting to note that the Christian monastic tradition is kept alive later in another form of Islamic monasticism. The monastery and sanctuary of el-Qatrawani is a living example of the continuity of religious traditions.