The olive harvest is still going on in Palestine, until mid November. Last week I took you on the fields to experience the harvest. This week we learn from Maissoun Sharkawi about the history of the olive tree and the importance for the Palestinians as part of their cultural heritage and economy. Maissoun  is a researcher and lecturer. She holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Lorraine- Nancy. For the Masar Ibrahim walking path from north to south of Palestine she developed a trail that passes by old olive groves, oil presses and olive oil soap factories. If you are interested to read the report (which I can recommend!) you can find it here: https://www.myheritage.ps/researches/522.htmlTo learn more about the hikes with Masar Ibrahim visit their website : https://www.masaribrahim.psAt the end of the episode I mention the Star Bazaar online gift shop of the Bethlehem Bible College where I study for the tour guide diploma. You can find beautiful hand made gifts from local artisans on https://starbazaar.bethbc.edu/ The donations for this week's podcast episode on https://ko-fi.com/storiesfrompalestine will be donated to students of the tour guide program who have financial difficult situation due to the Covid19 pandemic. Connect to Stories from Palestine on social media, follow the YouTube channel and sign up for the weekly e-mail. All links can be found on the linktree: https://linktr.ee/StoriesfrompalestineIf you are interested in the October program in Palestine (3 - 14 October 2022) then you can find more information on https://storiesfrompalestine.info/travel-to-palestine/ If you enjoy listening to Stories from Palestine then you should also check out the podcast Jerusalem Unplugged. You can find it on most podcast players and on social media.