- This vision is inspiring; how do you plan to convert this idea to reality?
Developing a 1,200 kilometer Path involving hundreds of cultural sites and traversing countries among which tension exists is challenging without a doubt. The approach of the Abraham Path Initiative is to inspire progress wherever the door is open with three kinds of actions.
- Identifying segments of the Path (as trails in the countryside and as cultural sites in cities), mapping them and, in the case of well-established sites, making note of their presence for integration as part of the Path.
- Sponsoring tours of segments of the Path and constellations of cultural sites, by partnering with local tour operators within the Middle East countries and with international tour agencies, for all types of travelers, ranging from local school groups to the adventuresome backpacker, or to people traveling with affiliated tour agencies who prefer hotel accommodations.
- Producing and distributing communications about the trails, the cultural sites and the spirit of Abraham, including scholarly articles, media coverage in print, audio, and video, films, and conversations among travelers and between travelers and their colleagues and friends.
These three kinds of actions reinforce each other. Each new path segment engenders new tours and interest, which result in new and more extensive communication, which, in turn, promotes additional tours and so on. Over time, the process accelerates and the trail segments coalesce to a complete integrated Path. In this way, the Abraham Path Initiative inspires and facilitates the development of the Path, but the job of actually opening the Path belongs to those in the region.
- How will you handle security issues?
The Abraham Path Initiative plans at least five concrete actions to address safety concerns.
- Monitoring and security information sharing from our partners on the ground: Areas which have suffered unrest in the past will be closely monitored and advice for travelers will be provided through the Abraham Path Initiative website. Updates to travelers on the ground can be sent via email and other handheld technologically held devices.
- The Path is being developed in collaboration with local residents and national and local authorities, who work to provide for the safety of their guests and the long-term security of the Path.
- A code of conduct for guests is being prepared, which will help travelers negotiate the cultural differences that may be a source of friction. The guidebook and the Abraham Path Initiative's website will contain advice on dress codes and behavioral norms.
- For travelers desirous of support, a pool of licensed tour guides familiar with the trail will be developed and made available to travelers on a fee basis.
- Health and safety in the desert: The mapping team is working to produce accurate hiking maps and GPS co-ordinates that will help travelers to navigate the trail. Maps will include emergency water sources, and the guidebook will list local and national emergency telephone numbers. The trail itself is being way-marked for further identification and guidance.
- How will you obtain permission for people to walk, especially people walking from one country to another where restrictions exist?
The borders between some of these countries are, in fact, not open to citizens from all nations. The Abraham Path Initiative recognizes these realities and will work within the limitations imposed by them. The Initiative has no political agenda, and will not attempt to change any nation’s policy on border control or visa regulations. Most visitors from the West will be able to travel the entire length of the Abraham Path without any problem, and visitors from most countries of the Middle East will be able to travel large portions of the Path's route. At a minimum, people will be able to travel the path within their own country until the situation on the ground changes.
Where restrictions do exist, the Initiative will try to find meaningful alternatives. While the Abraham Path Initiative takes no stance on the state of present boundaries, the spirit of the Path looks forward to a time when travel is unrestricted in the region. Indeed the landscape and the people are connected historically. Abraham, and the many sites throughout the region that are connected with his legacy, stand as a reminder of that connection.
- How will you know where Abraham's route was actually located?
The Abraham Path is a symbolic recreation of Abraham’s journey. No scripture is detailed enough to allow us to recreate of Abraham’s actual path through the Middle East, and the route chosen does not imply any judgment about the veracity or precedence of the different scriptural traditions. The scriptural records of the three Abrahamic faiths do concur in citing specific places, including the ancient city of Harran in Turkey, Jerusalem and the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Al Khalil/Hebron, where the initial route will start and end. Between these two locations the Abraham Path will pass through places that are cited in the scriptural record or associated with Abraham and his children by local tradition. The route will also try to follow a “line of beauty” – winding through the most appealing landscapes in the region and passing through sites of more recent historical interest.
- Who is involved?
The Abraham Path Initiative is an international affiliation of scholars, civil society leaders, religious leaders, businesses, and tourism professionals. The concept behind this initiative and the development of the Path was founded by Harvard University's Global Negotiation Initiative in the United States. The people and organizations currently involved are from both inside and outside the region.
The Abraham Path Initiative organization hopes that this vision will flourish and be moved forward by the people of the region. When this happens, it will not be necessary to have an Abraham Path Initiative at all – there will just be the Abraham Path, which will unfold beneath the feet of the people who walk and in the care of those who receive these travelers as guests.
- Where is the money coming from for the development of the Path?
Initial financial support came from a number of sources from around the globe. The primary funding has come from the Global Negotiation Initiative at Harvard University, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Kingdom Foundation, and the Sir Halley Stewart Trust. Many other individuals and organizations have contributed very important funding on a smaller scale. We are currently exploring funding opportunities from individuals, organizations, and foundations from countries around the world.
- Who will travel this trail and why?
Many travelers will walk parts or all of the Path, guided by maps and signs along the way. Many more will use the Path as an itinerary of sites that can be visited by bus, car, or bike. Schools and families in the communities along the Path will use it as a recreational and educational resource.
International demand for this kind of travel is reflected in the development of eco-tourism, religious tourism, voluntourism, and long-distance hiking trails across the world. The Inca Trail in Peru, the Appalachian and Lewis and Clark trails in the United States, the Grand Randonne routes through France, the Greenways paths in northern Europe, the Saint Paul Trail in Turkey and the Via Francigena in Italy are attracting hundreds of thousands of people every year. Most remarkable of all has been the revival of the Camino de Santiago, a medieval pilgrimage route that runs through Spain.
The Abraham Path will include many great cities which rank among the oldest and most evocative places in the Levant. Between the great cities the trail will cross the Biblical landscape of the desert, climb through the forested and snow-capped mountains that rise from the Mediterranean Sea, and descend through the wildflowers and olive groves of the foothills. For its natural beauty, its cultural richness, and its historical appeal, the Abraham Path can become one of the very best and most traveled routes of tourism in the world.
