Jericho

Jericho

Tucked away 36 kilometers east of Jerusalem, Jericho sits at the crossroads of history and geography. Located along the road to Amman and at the junction of the highway to the Galilee, Jericho is home to the ancient Tel as-Sultan. This site is considered the oldest continuously inhabited town on Earth, dating back over 10,000 years. At a depth of 250 meters below sea level, it is both the lowest and the oldest town in the world. The mound where the town's ruins were found covers an area of about one acre. Over time, Jericho was mentioned in various historical sources, and many remains from recent excavations indicate its name was inscribed on seals from the second millennium BC during the Middle Bronze Age (the Canaanite period).

Extensive excavations at the site have revealed its cultural history spanning over 10,000 years. The earliest remains belong to the Natufian culture (10th–8th millennium BC) and include flint tools, evidence of a Natufian hunting camp near the spring. The early Neolithic settlement is represented by round houses built of mud brick, surrounded by a wall and a round tower, marking the earliest preserved fortification system.

As the oldest city in the world, Jericho played a vital role in early Christianity. During the late Hellenistic to early Roman period, housing concentrated at Tulul Abu Al-Ala'iq, also known as Herod's palace, an enormous palace complex. The administrative site moved to modern Jericho during the late Roman and Byzantine periods. The city was also depicted in the sixth-century Madaba mosaic map, marked by a church and a palm tree with the inscription "St. Elisha," showing its geographical surroundings, including the Jordan River and the Dead Sea.

Recent archaeological excavations in the historic core of modern Jericho have uncovered remains shedding light on its Byzantine period history. Numerous Byzantine churches have been found, including Tell al-Hassan, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church of Abuna Anthimos, and Khirbat an-Nitla. A colorful mosaic floor was uncovered in 1962, and around 2010, during construction of the Russian museum in Jericho, a Palestinian-Russian expedition conducted a salvage excavation, uncovering more architectural remains and buildings dating to the early Roman, Byzantine-Umayyad, Medieval, and Ottoman periods.

Over the past decade, the Palestinian Department of Antiquities, in cooperation with Sapienza University of Rome and UNESCO, has carried out a series of rehabilitation works at Tell Al-Sultan. The site continues to showcase details of some of the oldest civilizations on earth and their lifestyles.

Today, Jericho's moderate climate and low elevation make it a favored winter retreat, with temperatures typically warmer than other parts of Palestine. This climatic advantage, combined with the region's rich soil, has transformed Jericho into an agricultural powerhouse, renowned for its fresh produce, including dates, bananas, and citrus fruits. From its ancient archaeological wonders to its modern agricultural bounty, Jericho stands as a testament to the enduring resilience and adaptability of human settlement in this storied corner of the Levant.