Learn about Jericho - The World's Oldest City

Located in the West Bank of Palestine, the city of Jericho is known for being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and archaeologists have unearthed more than 20 different settlement layers 11,000 years ago!

Jericho Castle in the Bible

The Seven Trumpets of Jericho, by James Tissot.

The Lord said to Joshua (Joshua): 'See, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its warriors. March walks around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. There were seven priests with trumpets of male dogs in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear their trumpets ring with a long bang, the whole army shouts; then the wall will fall and the army will advance, everyone will go straight in'. 

The ancient city of Jericho is well known from the biblical story where God ordered Joshua to destroy the city because its inhabitants disobeyed God. But the city's story dates back to around 8,000 BC when it was occupied during the Natufian period, making its structures some of the oldest man-made structures on Earth.

The Battle of Jericho is an amazing story, with a description of the Ark of the Covenant and the trumpets used as weapons under Joshua's command and God's own command. It's not just a simple fight; These weapons are so powerful that they are capable of completely destroying an entire city in seven days. Except for a prostitute - who is said to have betrayed her countrymen - and her family, every living thing dies. The city cursed by Joshua was never rebuilt. However, the city was rebuilt several times after that event.

Jericho was a very fortified city and had enough food and water to last for many months. It took months - even years - to destroy such a city, and yet Joshua did it, biblically, in seven days. Ancient astronaut theorists have argued that some advanced weapons powered by outside interference, possibly even aliens, were used to destroy them. Jericho. This is an unsolved mystery.

Birdseye looks at foundations excavated at Tell es-Sultan in Jericho and surrounding area in 2008.

Excavations at Tell Es-Sultan in Jericho

Jericho has attracted the attention of archaeologists since it was first identified and excavated by Charles Warren in 1868 as part of the Palestine Exploration Fund. His work centered on Tell es-Sultan, just a few kilometers north of central Jericho. Warren believes this is the site of ancient Jericho due to the existence of an important spring. This spring, known as Elisha's Spring, is famous as the site where Elisha was healed according to the Bible.

The excavations have excavated walls, which have been the subject of much discussion and research due to their importance in assessing the historicity of the biblical story of the ancient Israelite invasion of Canaan. Grand. The biblical story describes the city as having nearly impenetrable walls, intimidating anyone trying to take over the city.

Remnants of a tower at Tell es-Sultan in ancient Jericho. (Salamandra123)

Some argue that archaeological evidence has verified the biblical story to be accurate, with excavations showing that Jericho was once fortified and that it was later attacked and burned sometime between or Late Bronze Age between 1550 BC and 1400 BC.

'In a similar way, these archaeological finds at Jericho do not necessarily prove that the biblical story happened exactly as described, but they do lend credence to the story described on the pages of the Bible,' Caleb Strom argued in Ancient Origins. 'Although archeology sometimes casts doubt on traditional stories of the past, other times archeology confirms them in surprising ways.

Excavations by Kathleen Kenyon from the 1950s have uncovered 17 early Bronze Age walls, some showing signs of destruction by earthquakes and others showing signs of destruction by invaders. nomadic strategy. In fact, Willem Boshoff explains that her work has concluded that Jericho's walls do not correspond to the putative time period of the Joshua Bible, which predates the putative date by centuries, and finds that part The large ruined walls actually date from the Early Bronze Age. During his excavations, Kenyon also discovered an 8.5 meter (28 ft) stone tower dating to 8,000 BC, making it one of the earliest stone structures ever built. .

Mount of Temptation in Jericho.

Visiting Jericho

This historic city with over 10,000 years of history is clearly worth a visit if you are in the West Bank in Palestine. Due to the checkpoints, it will be easier for you to get there from Ramallah. The main attraction is of course Jericho Tell, or Tell al-Sultan, 2.5 kilometers from Jericho's main square. This ancient settlement mound is 21 meters (69 ft) high, and although it can be difficult to decipher for the untrained, it is a prime site for learning the history of human civilization. class as the world's oldest continuously inhabited city.

Another important site is the Mount of Temptation, a beautiful pilgrimage site where Jesus is said to have fasted after being baptized by John the Baptist. If you don't want to walk up the steep path, there is a cable car to take you there.