The tradition of olive wood carving has deep roots in Palestine, and in Bethlehem in particular, where it has flourished with the flow of pilgrims who have journeyed from afar to visit the Holy Land over the centuries. Tradition holds that olive wood carving arrived in Palestine as early as the 4th century, with the advent of pilgrimage, but the olive wood carving practiced today was most likely introduced to local Palestinians by the Franciscans, who arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Local artisans quickly adopted the techniques of producing small religious souvenirs such as crosses, rosaries and nativity sets consisting of small figurines from olive wood, and the items became extremely popular with both Palestinian Christians and pilgrims. Palestinian families in the Bethlehem region have been passing down the trade from generation to generation ever since.

Although olive trees are plentiful in the Bethlehem region - and despite the difficulty of transporting goods in Palestine - producers often purchase olive wood from groves throughout different parts of the West Bank, such as this one near the West Bank city of Nablus.

The process of producing an item from olive wood is highly labor-intensive and consists of many stages, often involving the work of multiple artisans.

Machines are used for the intitial 15% of the production process. Once a piece of olive wood is selected, it is matched with a mold and placed onto a drilling machine, which creates a rough outline of the finished product, and eliminates some of the most difficult and time-consuming aspects of the carving.

Next the piece is passed onto a skilled artisan, who transforms the rough outline into a finished product by adding details such as ornamentation on crosses, or facial features on nativity sets.

When the carving is complete, the item must next be sanded down and polished, then coated with olive wax to give the object a natural shine and ensure that it will last a lifetime.

Finished products range from traditional nativity sets and elaborate crosses, to simple Christmas tree ornaments.

Local shopkeepers in Bethlehem, and around the West Bank, then display their wares in small shops - like this one on Bethlehem's famed Milk Grotto Street - where tourists and pilgrims from around the world come to purchase these traditional and unique souvenirs.