Members of Al-Khatib family enjoy swimming at a pool inside a cave in western Ramallah on July 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)
Swimming pool made from cave! A Palestinian family are spending their baking hot summer in this man-made pool on a hill to relieve psychological stress from heat, home quarantine and lockdown amid #coronavirus outbreak.
RAMALLAH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Mohammed al-Khatib took four months with his family to build a swimming pool on a hill that overlooks the mountains of the Palestinian city of Ramallah to cope with heat and lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pool, with a breathtaking scene, shows superb craftsmanship and creativity as it was converted from a cave on a 5,000-square-meter stretch of land owned by the al-Khatib family in the town of Ni'lin in western Ramallah.
Members of Al-Khatib family enjoy swimming at a pool inside a cave in western Ramallah on July 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)
"We designed the pool that looks natural instead of man-made. The design gives the pool a breathtaking view in the arms of the green nature," said al-Khatib, preparing to jump in the pool surrounded by olive trees.
Heat, home quarantine and lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic "affected our psychological state," the father of four noted.
Wearing a smile of pride in what he has accomplished, al-Khatib, a 45-year-old lawyer, told Xinhua that his family love life like other people in the world "despite (Israeli) sieges, separation walls and confiscation of lands."
Members of Al-Khatib family enjoy swimming at a pool inside a cave in western Ramallah on July 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)
Covering an area of 90 square meters and filled with 100 cubic meters of water, this private swimming pool was built for 25 family members, with safety and sterilization ensured by al-Khatib.
"The cost of building the swimming pool was high, so I shared it with four brothers," he explained.
Maryam al-Khatib, 11, oozed joy and happiness as she was preparing to jump in the pool.
"Life has almost stopped ... The swimming pool is beautiful for fun and we are having a good time," she told Xinhua.
Members of Al-Khatib family enjoy swimming at a pool inside a cave in western Ramallah on July 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)
In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a state of emergency, in addition to tight precautions and lockdown to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
The Palestinian government closed schools, universities, mosques, churches, hotels, restaurants, cafes, wedding and sports halls, and all other entertainment facilities.
The government relaxed the anti-coronavirus measures in the West Bank at the end of May, before tightening them again in early July after increasing deaths and infections. ■
