The site of Ancient Jericho / Tell es-Sultan is located 1.5 kilometers north of the center of Jericho, in the lowest spot on the Earth's surface (250 meters below sea level). It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2023 under criteria (iii) and (iv) for its exceptional documentation of the first successful model of permanent human settlements, its role as a pivotal center of the Neolithic agricultural revolution, and its status as the oldest fortified agricultural town in the world, built during the Neolithic era over ten thousand years ago near the spring of Ain es-Sultan, which encouraged the transition of humans from a life of gathering, hunting, and foraging to a life of settlement based on the domestication of plants and animals, the construction of architectural structures, the production of pottery, and the development of social, economic, and religious systems that marked an unprecedented civilizational milestone in the development of human civilization.
At the beginning of the third millennium BCE, Ancient Jericho experienced another significant civilizational shift, becoming one of the most important fortified urban centers of the Canaanite civilization in the Near East. This was evident in its formidable fortifications, urban architecture, palaces, and richly equipped tombs.
Ancient Jericho / Tell es-Sultan has rightfully earned its place on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the oldest fortified town in the world and as a significant cultural landmark that witnessed Palestine's exceptional contributions to the development of human history. Its universal values are unique, and without understanding and recognizing these values, the history books of civilization remain incomplete and miss crucial chapters for understanding the evolution of human civilization.