The Murad Castle was built 400 years ago during the rule of the Ottoman Sultan Murad, with an aim to protect the area of Solomon’s Pools from invaders, especially the safe passage of water resources to Jerusalem.
The Castle was transformed into a museum that relates a four thousand year old history, civilization and culture of all the people and civilizations that lived in the area. The museum is one of the biggest and most important in Palestine in terms of its history and collection of relics. It contains over 2,000 ancient pieces, which date all the way back to the Bronze, Iron, Byzantine and Islamic ages, reflecting all the civilizations that were living in the area.
Even though the castle is right in the area of Solomon's Pools, for some odd reason Jews don't seem to be mentioned as one of the peoples who have lived in the Bethlehem area. Isn't that interesting.
Anyway, the museum is also an event space nowadays. Like many museums, people can rent it out for parties or other events.
As far as I can tell, none of the tourist sites mention that this is a sacred Islamic site, or that one has to be careful how to act at Murad Castle.
Apparently, it is one of those unwritten rules.
Over the weekend, a party was held at the castle. Young people ate, drank alcohol and danced together.
The reaction from the conservative and religious sites has been vehement, blaming Fatah for allowing what they call "a crowd of young men and girls participating in the beat of crazy songs and mixed dance, interspersed with the presentation of alcohol."
The Forum for Palestine Advocates reacted today in a way one would expect from the Taliban:
It is not surprising that the occupation attacks mosques and places of worship, and seizes real estate and cemeteries that represent the Islamic heritage in order to obliterate all Islamic landmarks and visit history.It is not surprising that we saw the influence of the occupation in converting some ancient mosques into inns, bars, dance halls, gambling and the like.But... the strange thing, which the mind does not accept, and it contradicts the national and Islamic affiliation... that some sons of the homeland turn the square of a mosque into a dance hall and promiscuity.The Forum of Palestine Advocates condemns this unpatriotic act of holding a party of singing, dancing and mixing in the courtyard of the Murad Castle mosque in the town of Artas, and this is a legitimate and moral crime in harmony with the settlers’ crimes against our mosques. .The competent authorities in the Palestinian Authority must bear full responsibility for this immoral attack and deviation from national values.
