The Abraham Path: Bringing East and West closer together

Changing the world through Abraham’s footsteps

The Abraham Path/Hazreti Ibrahim Kultur Yolu starts in Harran -- where Abraham heard the call to “go forth” -- and ends in Hebron/Al Khalil, where the Old Testament tells us he was buried. “We don’t know exactly where he went,” Joshua tells us. “We don’t claim historical accuracy of the route because we can’t, and there’s no archaeological evidence that he ever actually existed. The Old Testament, Quran and local mythology along the path provides us with waypoints for his and his family’s journey.”

Nobody knows exactly how far Abraham travelled. Weiss explained “the initial route from Harran to Hebron/Al Khalil is about 1,200 kilometers and would take about three months to walk when it is complete. However, the grander vision, which will take decades to create, will ultimately include places such as Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, making the total distance closer to 5,000 kilometers and could take approximately a year to walk. Since 2007, 450 kilometers of non-contiguous path have been opened with pilot segments in Turkey, Jordan, Palestine and Israel.”

Abraham was chosen as the basis for the route because he’s a direct link between the countries along the path in Turkey and the Middle East and the 3.5 billion people worldwide who share the same spiritual tradition, be it through the Old Testament, New Testament or Quran. With Abraham as a common reference point, the route can, above all, promote cultural diplomacy on a grassroots level. “It’s a way for people from the West -- and around the globe -- to see a different side of Turkey and the Middle East and meet the people there on a more personal level,” Joshua emphasizes and notes: “It also serves as a catalyst for sustainable tourism and economic development and national and community host-networks. It’s a platform for the energy and idealism of young people, which through student exchanges, offers learning opportunities and cross-cultural experiences. It’s also a focus for positive media highlighting the rich culture and hospitable people along the path.”

This non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian project was started by Dr. William Ury, a negotiation expert, at Harvard University in 2004. Since then the API has become a global NGO, with offices along the path and around the world. It’s also been endorsed and assisted by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the UN World Tourism Organization and the World Heritage Alliance.

The power of a path

In addition to being a cultural route, the Abraham Path is also a catalyst for change. A lot has happened in social and economic terms in countries along the route -- such as in Palestine and most notably in Jordan -- since the project began.

In Palestine, it not only crosses checkpoints but also follows Abraham’s route through the north, an area that has been hit hard by the conflict with Israel. Walkers contribute to the local economy by staying in villages and buying local products. The Abraham Path is also providing locals with a link to the international community as well as giving people from the West an insight into life in Palestine. In Israel, a 60-kilometer segment of the path from Be’er Sheva to Arad City has been opened and includes sites linked to Abraham such as Tel Sheva, Tel Arad, various Bedouin villages, the Falahin village of Drijat and Abraham’s Well in the city of Be’er Sheva. This has meant that people from different backgrounds -- Fallahin (Arab farmers), Bedouins and Jewish people from India and Ethopia, amongst others -- have worked together to make the path come to life.

The most developed segment of the route is in Jordan, where 80 kilometers of trail have been mapped and a shorter section marked and endorsed by local communities in the northern highlands. The Jordan team has developed an active network of community members and villages, resulting in good local support. Some 2,000 people walked this section in 2009, known as the Al Ayoun Trail and the inhabitants of the three villages along the trail are now offering home stays, meals and taking steps to protect their natural heritage sites. It’s also benefiting over 35 village families, both economically and socially, who are hosting walkers.

A good example of how the Abraham Path has changed people’s lives is that of Um-Ahmad, a village woman in her 40s who struggled to support her seven children and seriously ill husband, in a village just off the trail. She not only had to deal with poverty, cultural limitations and lack of opportunity but also visual impairment. Finding it hard to cope financially, she found herself forced to marry off her 15-year-old daughter.

Food, tourism and the will to move forward have changed her life, both economically and socially and put her village on the map. After she helped make local bread at an API fundraiser, she realized she could offer the same to others. One thing led to another, and she started preparing meals for tourists walking the trail who made the detour to her village for a homemade meal. She now also sells pottery and pickled olives from her small garden. She makes enough money to support her family and has also been able to renovate her dining area and washroom. Socially, Um-Ahmad and her children are meeting people from abroad, and this has broadened their horizons on many levels. Her next step is to buy the land next door to expand her pickled olive business.

Turkey: Hazreti Ibrahim Kultur Yolu

Though not as well developed as other parts of the route, the Turkish part of the Abraham Path is slowly coming together. Since its official opening in 2007, a 30-kilometer-long segment has been opened to walkers between Şuayb City and Harran. There’s another part, about eight kilometers long, open around Urfa. Some 110 kilometers of the path remains to be completed.

There is local, national and foreign interest in the route. A committee of people from local government and commerce is coordinating and guiding people along the path, engaging in community outreach and promoting the path as well as creating partnerships in the area. They’ve developed a cultural itinerary for small groups -- from five up to 20 people with a local guide -- which takes in the region’s historic sites. This is attracting walkers of all ages interested in history and the sites there and the figure of Abraham in the area or those who just want to walk and hike.

There are also student exchanges -- Sabancı University is involved as an academic partner -- such as the Young Leaders’ Program. “Later this month, young Americans and Turks will be on the path together,” Joshua points out, underlining: “The Americans will be learning about Turkey and all its different cultures and ways of life and experiencing something totally different. There’s also an exchange planned for October for students from the UK and hopefully some Turkish universities.”

And what has the Abraham Path meant for people in and around Harran and Urfa to date? “They were uncertain as to what it was all about, and there was a healthy level of skepticism,” Joshua underlines. “We told them not to take our word for it, but to watch carefully and see how our actions matched our words. As they watched, they became more comfortable and wanted to get more involved; that had a lot to do with developing local support and ownership. Travelers’ multi-country trips have pushed tour operators and other groups to work together in a very functional manner, and the teams have made site visits to some of the different countries on the path to learn from each other. The economic impact has been very modest, but we expect that to increase this year slowly but surely. Many more people have walked in Jordan and Palestine because of the proximity to major transit points, Jerusalem and Amman. The challenge with the Turkish part of the path is getting people out there and having it seen as a destination in and of itself.”

And what would he like to see happen as a result of Abraham’s Path? “I’d like to see it come to life and watch all the things that will happen that we haven’t yet even thought about,” he explains, adding: “I’d like to see the day when travelers can connect directly with the host communities and have an authentic cultural experience in a beneficial way for both guest and host. And I’d like to see an economic and social improvement of the lives of people along the path as well as see travelers have their perspective of the people and the region transformed -- one person at a time.”

The most developed segment of the route is in Jordan, where 80 kilometers of trail have been mapped and a shorter section marked and endorsed by local communities in the northern highlands.