West Bank's Sufi Trail

[kmaherali]

West Bank's Sufi Trail offers a glimpse into landmarks and history of Islamic mysticism
By Daniela Berretta, The Associated Press November 7, 2012

http://www.montrealgazette.com/travel/W ... story.html

For most tourists, iconic religious landmarks like the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall and the Church of the Nativity are an important part of any visit to the Holy Land. Now a new trail offers visitors a look at little-known spiritual sites associated with Sufism, or Islamic mysticism.

The Sufi Trail is less than an hour from Jerusalem, in the central West Bank, amid vast expanses of olive tree terraces, forests and rocky hills. The trail showcases sanctuaries and shrines marking the burial sites of Sufi spiritual leaders. In an era of rising Islamic fundamentalism, the trail also provides a glimpse of a moderate strain of Islam while preserving the history of a millennium-old tradition that is rapidly fading from local memory.