JERICHO
Jericho is located in the Judean Desert on the west side of the Jordan River about fifteen kilometers northwest of the Dead Sea. It lies nearly 300 meters below sea level and about 1,000 meters below Jerusalem, which is a mere 40 kms away. That is why Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan, they were travelling “down from Jerusalem to Jericho”.
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The Monastery at the Mount of Temptation |
The town is generally known as the oldest city in the world. When archaeologists excavated Old Testament Jericho, they found an 8m tall stone tower that was built about 8,000 BC.
Today Jericho is situated in the West Bank and has a population of approximately 19,000. In the Bible it is called "the city of palm trees" and it’s still a city of palm trees, bananas and oranges, and other sweet tropical fruit.
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Jericho of the Old Testament is best known as the first city taken by the Israelites when the walls came down after they walked around the city for three days. It appears in several incidents throughout the rest of the Old Testament e.g. in 2 Samuel 10:5. It served as the headquarters for Elisha and apparently a “company of the prophets” lived there (2 Kings 2:5; compare 1 Samuel 10:5). When Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C., the reigning king, Zedekiah, fled to near Jericho but was caught by the Babylonians. Men from Jericho also helped rebuild the Jerusalem wall (Nehemiah 3:2).
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
According to Matthew 20:29 and Mark 10:46 Jesus went through Jericho and healed the blind men. As Jesus passed through Jericho (Luke 19:1) he met and ate with Zacchaeus, the wealthy chief tax collector of the new Roman Jericho. The city also figures in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).
What to see in Jericho
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The “tell” (Tel al-Sultan) where you can look back into history through the interesting finds by archaeologists. Your idea of “city” will somewhat change;
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Taste the fresh water from the Spring of Elisha (Ein al-Sultan) next to the “tell”;
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Stump of Sycamore Fig tree at Greek Orthodox Church |
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The Mount of Temptation north of the town about 5kms away;
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A Sycamore Fig Tree similar to the one from which Zacchaeus watched Jesus and his disciples passing by. The "official" tree is in Ein al-Sultan street and the stump of another at the Greek Orthodox Church;
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The ancient Jericho Synagogue (near the Spring of Elisha);
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St Catherine's Monastery in Wadi Qelt |
- The site at the Jordan river where Jesus was baptised about 15kms from Jericho;
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The road travelled by the Jewish man coming down from Jerusalem, attacked by bandits and eventually rescued by a Samaritan. This road can best be observed by a visit to Wadi Qelt.
How to Get There
From Jerusalem: Take the road (Route 1) to Amman (Jordan), also leading to the Northern part of the Dead Sea.
From the Dead Sea: Drive along the western shore of the Dead Sea on Route 90. Look out for road signs on your left directing you to Jericho.
From Galilee (Beit Shean): Drive towards the Dead Sea on Route 90 (77km)
In Jericho: if not using your own car the best way to see all the sights in old and new Jericho is by hiring a taxi for a few hours.
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