Beit Fajjar which lies 14 km southwest of Bethlehem is a town of about 12,000 inhabitants, best known for its 52 stone-cutting factories. It is believed that Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab camped in the village, which dates back to Canannite times, on his pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 638 AD. Affording a view of the surrounding area, its old core used to be an observation point in British times. The Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation has implemented an urban rehabilitation project of part of the old core including putting in new infrastructure such as electricity, sewerage, and water, cleaning facades and adding railings. It has also rehabilitated a Hosh which had been abandoned for years.