This is the sun setting over Arara, a mountain near the village of Rafat. We hiked up to it with our friends from Rafat and it amazes me how raw the beauty is here. Rough rocks sprout out from the red earth, the same rocks that have roman foundations carved out of them from thousands of years ago. All the plants here are thorny and lash at the legs, but it is still simply amazing what can grow in such a sparse landscape. Arara has an old volcanic crater near the top, which is odd considering nearly everything made from stone here is some kind of limestone. It's beautiful though watching the sun set over the white rocks as we hiked back down the mountain.
These are the olive trees around the village of Rafat. The village has I think around 2,000 people in it and it is absolutely beautiful. The people we so kind and generous that I still have an entire blog to write about it. Possibly tomorrow so stay tuned. It's amazing how beautifully simple village life is and how the Olive trees are the cornerstone of their lives. Everything revolves around the olives and the harvest, which is in the next few weeks here. I live the village and I want to go back soon
These were ancient ruins actually in the city of Rafat, just blending in with the surrounding homes. It's amazing how little the architecture can change here over the course of thousands of years and how long these stones have stood here.
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