Arraba – Al Mardawi Guesthouse

Mustafa and Ayat Mardawi keep their house door open to every guest who wishes to make an overnight stop in their picturesque village of Arraba in Jenin governorate.

Ayat Mardawi, a mother of five children, is an excellent cook. She is extremely pleased that the trail now passes through her village of Arraba, and her husband Mustafa is as glad as she is. He believes the village has incredible potential as a tourist destination, pointing out that Arraba has many archaeological and architectural remains from the multiple civilizations that inhabited the area across the ages. “There are Roman ruins not too far away from where we live,” he says proudly.

The couple is delighted to be one of the families hosting hikers on The Palestinian Heritage Trail and feels that this is a great chance to represent the people of Araba. “Guests to Palestine must get to know our local communities as they truly are,” states Ayat. “The interaction with our guests gives us an opportunity to exchange our knowledge, and it also benefits us – the Palestinians, the community of Araba – a lot,” adds Mustafa.

The children are also happy to exchange with guests staying at their place. The eldest daughter Zeena learned English mostly by herself and loves to practice the language. Education is very important to the Mardawi family; their older children can articulately discuss books like Jane Eyre and the works of Shakespeare and Marlowe with guests.

The Mardawi family is ready to welcome guests to their new house. The building consists of two levels, so guests can have their own space on the upper floor. This gives them the freedom to choose if they would rather interact more with the family or relax a bit after the demanding hike that they have just finished.

The windows of the guestrooms overlook beautiful and lush olive groves, some of which belong to the Mardawi family. “We were able to build our house thanks to the income we generated from selling the olive oil pressed from our olives,” says Mustafa; besides serving as a driving instructor, he is regularly engaged in working on his land. He skillfully connects the traditional cultivation methods that he learned from his father with the innovative techniques of modern farming to meet the highest international standards for olive sale. “During olive season, all the families in Arraba go out to pick the olives together. 

Mustafa and Ayat wholeheartedly support the Palestinian Heritage Trail, which they feel highlights the history of the area where they live and, as Mustafa says, “it connects us more to our land.” Both would like to actively develop the project and walk the trail to “get to know the area surrounding them better.”