RamallahCapital
Palestine · Country profile
Ramallah is the modern, lively capital of Palestine, the hilly, cultured city of the central highlands that spreads its stone houses, its pine-crowned ridges and its many new buildings across the western slopes of the Judean hills, stood as the seat of the government of the Palestinian Authority. Once a quiet Christian and Muslim town of the olive groves, it has become the political, the cultural and the youthful heart of Palestine, its bustling squares, its galleries, its universities and its cafe culture hosting the intellectuals, the students and the artists of the nation, and it serves as the administrative capital while the diplomatic world speaks of the orientation of Jerusalem. The tomb of the leader, the museums and the cultural centres of the town, the old city and the viewpoint of the hills anchor the essential visits, while the villages, the monasteries and the archaeological sites of the surrounding highlands give the deeper frame of the country. Lively, creative and quietly defiant, Ramallah is the beating present of the Palestinian story.
About Ramallah
Ramallah is the capital of Palestine. The city's documented population is around 30,000 people. For visitors from abroad, the local currency is the Israeli New Shekel (ILS) and Arabic is spoken; the dialling code is +970.
The Mausoleum of the Leader and the Compound of the Government
Ramallah is a dense, hilly capital where the essential circuit moves between the cultural centres, the modern squares and the historic old town, with the tomb of the national leader and the viewpoint of the hills slotting the symbolic stops. The city of the many museums and the galleries, from the modern art of the district to the heritage and the political museums of the town, anchors the cultural life, and the old city with its lanes, its mosques and its churches preserves the historic quarter. The villages and the monasteries of the surrounding hills, from the traditional villages of the craft and the wine to the ancient sites of the highlands, fill the day trips beyond the city, and the whole energetic metropolis runs the young, hopeful, creative pulse of contemporary Palestine.
The Galleries of the Art and the Centres of the Culture
The climate of the city is the pleasant Mediterranean of the highlands, with the warm, dry summers, the cold, wet winters with the occasional snow and the green blooming springs and the golden autumns of the olive country. The new shekel is the currency of the daily life, with the Arabic the language of the city and the English common in the official and the cultural quarters. The centre, the museums and the old city make the core visits, and the highlands of the region lie within an easy drive of the town. Layered clothing for the seasons and comfortable walking shoes complete the simple preparation for the hilly capital.
The Old Town of the Hills and the Viewpoints of the Mountains
The tomb of the national leader, the monumental mausoleum of the president of the authority that sits beside the government compound of the capital, is the most important symbolic site of the modern city, with its square and its marble and its ever-present guard anchoring the day of the Palestinian state, while the cultural centres of the town, from the modern art museum of the renovated cinema to the cultural palace of the city, run the rich contemporary life of the capital. The old town of the city, with its traditional stone houses, its mosques and its churches and the clock tower of the centre, preserves the historic quarter, and the viewpoint of the mountains of the region, with the lights of the expanding town and the villages of the hills, gives the panorama of the highlands. The markets and the cafes of the town and the monasteries and the craft villages of the surrounding hills complete the essential, lively circuit of the modern capital of Palestine.
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- Country
- Palestine
- Population
- 30,000
- Capital
- Ramallah
- Region
- Asia
- Currency
- Israeli New Shekel (ILS)
- Languages
- Arabic
- Calling code
- +970
- Country code
- PS
Frequently asked questions
Is Ramallah the capital of Palestine?
Yes — Ramallah is the capital of Palestine.
What currency do I need in Ramallah?
The local currency is the Israeli New Shekel (ILS). Languages spoken in Palestine include Arabic.
What is the dialling code for Palestine?
The international dialling code for Palestine is +970.
Flying out of Ramallah? Check the entry requirements for your destination in our entry requirements tool before you fly.