March 30, 2026
Pippa's Travel Diaries: Palestine
In February, I travelled back to Palestine to visit the Turquoise Mountain team in Bethlehem and to work with Mohammad on new pieces.
Spring was just beginning to arrive on the soft hills — poppies and orange blossom in the air. The Turquoise Mountain house sits in the heart of Bethlehem, on the edge of Manger Square, off Star Street. An Ottoman building lovingly restored - delicate ceiling murals, handmade Hebron tiles on the floors, thick walls and deep windows. Soothing and quietly beautiful, a reminder of a more peaceful time.
Out on Star Street, hawkers called out from their barrows selling seed cakes, coffee sellers wandered with copper pots and little paper cups. Palestinian embroidery, camel hair scarves and keffiyehs lined the ancient, cobbled street. I ate a fresh green falafel near the Nativity Church and watched the families in the square.
Inside, the team showed me embroideries made by women in local villages, woven wool bags and carpets from Bedouin communities in distant desert camps, worked stone and beautiful glass lamps. The charity currently supports over 400 artisans -70% of them women.
We buy Mohammad's glass pieces and add a percentage to support the charity's work. The glass travels to London, where we string each piece by hand before sending it out into the world - carrying with it the beauty of a place, a culture, and one man's deep passion for his craft.
Resistance can be found in making beautiful things.