Catholic, and one Episcopal/Anglican. The oldest one is St George Orthodox Church; now the Orthodox Christian community is building another large Orthodox Church, and an Orthodox Christian school that is considered to be the largest in the West Bank. The Catholic church of Our Lady Queen of Peace - Guadalupe was founded in 1858; it also runs a Catholic high school. Bir Zeit also has an Episcopal/Anglican church, St. Peter's church. Education and culture The annual Maftoul Festival takes place in Birzeit in October. Women from different villages prepare couscous dishes and are judged by a jury of professional chefs. The goal of the festival is to highlight traditional Palestinian food, empower women and promote rural tourism. It is organized by the Rozana Association for Development and Architectural Heritage, the Palestinian Circus School, the Palestinian Ministry of Culture, Birzeit Women's Charitable Society, the Palestinian Chefs Association, Heritage House and Birzeit Club. There is also yearly festival named the heritage week and it is a celebration of different aspects of the villagers life and to it comes many participants to represent their villages customs and traditions from wedding ceremonies to clothes, also in July. Notable residents Kamal Nasser Sumaya Farhat Naser See also Palestinian Christians References Bibliography Toledano, E., 1979, ‘The Sanjaq of Jerusalem in the Sixteenth Century - Patterns of Rural Settlement and Demographic Trends,” in A. Cohen, ed., Jerusalem in the Early Ottoman Period, Jerusalem, 61-92 (in Hebrew). Further reading David Lynch: A Divided Paradise: An Irishman in the Holy Land''. (New Island, Jan 2009) External links Welcome To Bir Zeit Survey of Western Palestine, Map 14: IAA, Wikimedia commons Bir Zeit (Fact Sheet), Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ) Bir Zeit (Village profile), ARIJ Bir Zeit (photo), ARIJ Locality Development Priorities and Needs in Bir Zeit Town, ARIJ Birzeit Society St George Orthodox Church site Towns in the West Bank Palestinian Christian communities Municipalities of West Bank