Building a terrace is clever engineering. Instead of letting rain wash the soil down a steep hill, farmers cut flat shelves into the slope and build stone walls to hold the earth in place. The result is a staircase of growing land where rain soaks in slowly and plants can drink for much longer. The same stones laid by farmers two thousand years ago are still holding the hillsides together today.
Battir's terraces are watered by a spring system that sends water through stone channels to each garden in turn. Each family in the village receives their share of the spring water on a set day of the week - a tradition that has been running, without pause, for at least a thousand years. The channels are cleaned and repaired by hand every season.
Walking through the terraces in autumn is unforgettable. The olive trees have silver-green leaves that shimmer in the breeze, and the ground is covered with nets spread out to catch the falling olives at harvest time. Whole families - grandparents, parents, and children - climb the terraces together and pick olives by hand, talking and singing as they work.