RESTRICTION SUMMARY: Nablus, 11 October 2021. Palestinians visit the Roman basilica and forum in the village of Sebastia near the West Bank city of Nablus.

0.1 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Tour guide, Ibrahim Khair
0.2 SOUNDBITE (in Arabic) Employee at Tourism and Antiquities Dergham Fars

STORYLINE:

The ancient town of Sebastia is one of the greatest archaeological sites of the Holy Land, attracting tourists and pilgrims over the centuries with its overlapping layers of history dating back 3,000 years. But visitors who come to the site today will find it in a state of neglect


Sebastia is a Palestinian village of over 4,500 inhabitants, located in the Nablus Governorate of the State of Palestine, some 12 kilometers northwest of the city of Nablus, in what is believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the West Bank.

A prominent village during the Hellenistic era and under the Roman Empire, Christians and Muslims believe Sebastia's Nabi Yahya Mosque to be the burial site of St John the Baptist.

Situated on a hill with panoramic views across the West Bank, Sebastia also contains ruins that comprise remains from six successive cultures dating back more than 10 000 years: Canaanite, Israelite, Hellenistic, Herodian, Roman and Byzantine.

Footage by/ APAwire