This blog post is very special to us because it was one of those trips that we started but never expected how surprising it would turn out to be. The initial plan that Malak and I set was to drive to Nablus and hang out a little bit in the old town in Nablus and enjoy the beauty that the city has to offer. We also wanted to visit a few places along the way, but ended up spending the bulk of our time in one small yet breathtaking village called Till (Also written as Tell).
And while the way from Ramallah where me and Malak live is just an hour drive to Nablus, it took us more than 4 hours to actually get there, because we could not resist stopping every 10 minutes to marvel at the amazing scenery we came across.
In our small rented red car we left Ramallah through Birzeit town and headed north on road 60 that passes through many beautiful villages such as Sinjil and Turmusaya. The landscape changed as we drove closer to Nablus and left behind the bustling city atmosphere. As I was driving, Malak was playing DJ and finding us the best 90s Arabic pop music to groove on along the way.
Passing by Luban e-Sharkiya, Malak told me that every time she passes by this village she is just eager to stop the bus or car she is in and take a few pictures in what seems like an endless field of wildflowers and farmers’ crops. And who am I to say no to yet another opportunity to take more amazing photos?
Even Though I am terrified of green landscapes especially in the heat and what could be hiding there, such as snakes and spiders, I needed to comply with my annoying friend’s nagging for me to stand in a field of yellow flowers. And I am so happy I did, and that no creatures creeped up on me, because the peace I felt just standing there listening to birds singing and feeling the breeze on my face was definitely worth it!
At the roundabout that leads to both Tulkarem and Nablus, we took the second exit and headed to Tulkarem. Driving for another 10 minutes, we took a small exit with unfortunately no clear sign, and headed up a very steep road that would lead us to Till. Malak was again very eager to take a photo there because the view was priceless! Finally we saw a sign that reads Till and were assisted by a very nice old man who was selling zucchinis on the side of the road (Hint: Do not shy away from asking strangers for directions!).
Arriving to Till, I think Malak was completely speechless. We were greeted by an amazing view that reminded us instantly of European castles and the landscapes in Spain. Hills stretching for miles and dotted with lush Olive trees that looked like tiny fluffy clouds sprouting from the ground. Malak left the car with her camera and just walked ahead of me with me driving slowly next to her. Every time she looked at the monitor of her camera she would look back at me and just say WOW.
Till is an extremely gorgeous and off the grid town that is located 5 kilometers southwest of Nablus. The name comes from Syriac and it means height. The first view definitely screams height as the old houses in the village are built over a very majestic and rocky hillside. We initially intended to go up to the old houses but what we found ahead of us was as beautiful and decided to just spend the day getting to know the lovely people of Till.
We stopped for about half an hour at a lovely place called Orjin Cafe. The cafe is built in a location that allows you to have an uninterrupted view of the entire valley of Till. It reminded us of Turkey’s amazing scenery and for a good reason. The owner of the cafe is the biggest fan of Turkey and was inspired by its simple cafes and peoples’ desires to just sit down and enjoy a warm cup of tea and maybe smoke Shisha while enjoying the view. Nothing fancy. Urwa, the owner kindly offered us two hot cups of tea prepared on wood fire and while I enjoyed the fantastic contrasting views, Malak chatted with Urwa as she always does. I do not think she can resist the journalist in her!
And after we sipped our tea in peaceful silence, Mohammad who works with Urwa came over with two deserts. The desert is called Madlooqa, a delicious and famous sweet made of layers of cold cream, Kunafah dough and topped with Cashew nuts. Safe to say we devoured the whole thing in a matter of minutes!
Malak then told me that she saw a farmer walking in his farm below the cafe and that she asked him if we could stop by and of course they welcomed us with open arms. Abdul Raziq and his friend took us on a tour in their farm and were adamant to give us enough produce to prepare our own fresh lettuce salad. The farm itself is called Al Fawar, which is a reference to the spring that runs through the farm from the mountain. We were amazed at how we were transported into a forest of fresh produce that had everything you would ever need. As I was struggling to carry all the goodness Abdul Raziq was handing over to me, Malak was enjoying her little game of trying to name every plant and tree we passed by. She was able to guess some but I think she will be able to guess more on our beautiful journey discovering Palestine.
After a long farewell and a promise of visiting them again, we took off and headed up the mountain on our way to Nablus, but of course stopped again at the hilltop to explore the most impressive location to see Till uninterrupted from east to west.
While we feel sorry that we never knew about Till and its amazing landscapes before, we felt blessed that we had a chance to discover what it has to offer. We are so happy that we have this platform to share these experiences with you because we simply want you to get to experience the beauty and the pure magic of this amazing village.