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Turning Shells into Masterpieces The Craft of Mother of Pearl  This ancient craft holds within its history a boundless part of the Palestinian culture of art and creativity. The craft is especially famous in Bethlehem, the birthland of Jesus. It is said that it reached Bethlehem through Italian Franciscans Pilgrims during the 15th century. Given the region's religious status, it has been always a meeting point for many cultures, which explains its rich and varied repertoire of crafts and arts.  The used shells are a combination of Palestinian shells along with other types of imported shells from Europe and Australia. The...