We wish to thank Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the information on our web pages. We share images and information with Wikipedia. We also donate to Wikipedia, & would suggest that others do the same. Beit Sahour (Place of the Night Watch) is a Palestinian town east of Bethlehem under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority. The population of 12,367, is 80% Christian (most of them Greek Orthodox) and 20% Muslim. The traditional place of the angel�s visit; Beit Sahur, was originally known as the Village of the Shepherds, it is now an eastern suburb of Bethlehem. Many caves where shepherds �kept watch over their flock� still abound in the area east of Bethlehem. Beit Sahour is reputed to be close to the place where, according to the New Testament, an angel announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. According to tradition, St. Helena built a convent at the site, which is today known as the shepherd's cave. The name Beit Sahur actually belongs to two places in the vicinity: Beit Sahur al-Atiqah ("ancient Beit Sahur"); on the western side of Beit Sahour, and Beit Sahur an-Nasara ("Beit Sahur of the Christians"), on the eastern side. There are two different enclosures in the eastern side of Beit Sahour, which are claimed by different Christian denominations to be the actual 'Shepherds Field': one belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church and the other, is a Catholic site, belonging to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. The Shepherd's Fields, Catholic Franciscan Chapel, called; the Sanctuary of the "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," is in an area called Siyar el-Ghanam ("the place for keeping sheep"). It was designed by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi, it was built in 1953 with donations from Canada and its shape is said to be reminiscent of the tents of the nomadic Bedouin tribes. The only light in the interior of the chapel comes from skylights in the dome symbolizing the relationship between earth and the sky. The Bible is filled with many good references to shepherds and sheep. Such great Old Testament patriarchs as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David were all shepherds at some time in their lives. However, in Jesus' time, shepherds had a bad reputation. The Rabbinic literature lists "shepherd" as among the most despised occupations. Most of the time they were thought of as thieves and were generally considered dishonest. Some might steal a sheep and report to its owner that it was lost or eaten by a lion. This is far from the positive image of a shepherd leading his flock to green pastures and still waters presented by the twenty-third Psalm, which still is one of the most beautiful images of shepherding ever written. Therefore, it is very significant that shepherds were the first to hear the good news of the birth of the Messiah, and were the first to bear witness. The most humble and despised became the most honored! Other than the Catholic Franciscan Chapel, Beit Sahour has three significant religious sites nearby: 1. Beer Al Seeda, or Virgin Mary's Well and Chapel; located in the heart of the Historic City of Beit Sahour.It is known locally as Beer Al Seeda. It is said that Jacob, the son of Issac (son of Abraham), built this well. It is said that the Virgin Mary stopped by the well and requested a drink but was denied by the well keeper. Subsequently, the water in the well overflowed, and the Virgin Mary was able to drink after all. Afterward, many other miracles have been associated with the well. A chapel was built over the well in 1970. 2. Hakel Al Rou'ah, or the Greek Orthodox Shepherds' Field; which contains a subterranean (cave) church dedicated to the Mother of God. Several olive trees in the field date back thousands of years, and it is thought to be the place where the angels appeared to the shepherds' and announced the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem according to the gospel of Luke. The tombs of three shepherds are also located on the west side of the cave church. 3. Eastwards from the Greek and Catholic churches is the Protestant Shepherd�s Field, a meadow filled with pine trees. Here a YMCA rehabilitation center contains large caves with pottery remains. Then, beyond Shepherd�s Field, to the east, is the plain known as; the Field of Ruth. You may recall that Ruth was a Moabite woman from east of the Dead Sea, is one of the few women to have a book of the Old Testament named after her. She is celebrated especially for her statement of devotion to her mother-in-law, Naomi, who came from Bethlehem: �Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God . . . .� You may recall that the �Field of Ruth� was really the field of Boaz, a wealthy landowner. Ruth met Boaz while gathering up the barley left behind by the harvesters. They married and she became the great-grandmother of King David.

The easy way to get to Shepherd's Fields, or Beit Sahour, Israel, is to fly into the Ben Gurion International Airport. The airport is at the junction of the Haifa, Jerusalem, Dan, and Tel Aviv metropolitan areas. The Ben Gurion International Airport, (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag, is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel. It was named the best airport in the Middle East by the ACI organisation.[ The airport is located near the city of Lod, 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv. It is operated by the Israel Airports Authority, a government-owned corporation that manages all public airports and border crossings in the State of Israel. The Ben Gurion International Airport is considered one of the world's most secure airports, with a security force that includes both police officers and IDF soldiers. There are several hotels in or near Jerusalem. There are several Guided Tour Agencies offering standard city, and historical tours of Jerusalem, Israel and the surrounding areas. After arranging your flight we would suggest getting your hotel and then letting them arrange tours of the area for you. If you call the hotels Concierge Services ahead of your arrival, all of this can be pre-arranged for you. I do this all the time. It is safe and it works!!! I have never experienced a problem doing it this way! I have links to Priceline.Com on our page so that you can arrange your flight and hotel in the Jerusalem, Israel area.