About fifteen miles northeast of Jerusalem lies the City of Palm Trees, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. In Biblical times, Jericho was known as an oasis city and appears in fifty eight verses of Scripture. Here Jesus gave the Parable of the Pounds, found in the Gospel of Luke. Here Herod the Great built his winter palace, drawn by the warm climate and fresh springs. And here unfolds one of the most famous stories in the Bible , the city whose walls fell after Joshua's army marched around them blowing their trumpets.
You have probably been singing "the walls of Jericho came tumbling down" since childhood without ever seeing what Jericho looks like today. Though small, with a population of roughly twenty thousand, it overflows with religious, archaeological and natural treasures. Below are seven sites every pilgrim should know.
Zacchaeus Tree
On his way to Jericho, Jesus healed a blind man (Luke 18:35 43). It was also here that Zacchaeus, a tax collector despised by his own people, climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of the Lord. To everyone's astonishment, Jesus chose his house. Zacchaeus was so moved that he rose and said, "Look, Lord, I will give half of all I have to the poor. And if I have cheated anyone, I will pay back four times as much" (Luke 19:8). As the Lord himself said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." Be sure to add the Zacchaeus Tree to your route on your next visit to the Holy Land.
Elijah's Well
Not far from the old excavation site of Jericho stands Elijah's Well , the spring the prophet purified by throwing in salt and declaring, "Thus says the Lord, 'I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer'" (2 Kings 2:21). The spring still flows today, and its fresh water remains open to the public.
The Monastery of Temptation
This is the site where Christ was tempted by the devil during his forty day fast. A beautiful Greek Orthodox church clings to the sheer face of the mountain, some three hundred and fifty meters above sea level , a breathtaking sight in itself. The most memorable way to reach the monastery is by cable car, which offers a sweeping panorama of Jericho and its history, including the spring of Elisha below.
Jesus' Baptismal Site on the Jordan River
Among the most important pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land is the place of the "spiritual birth" , the site where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven. Pilgrims travel here to renew their baptismal promises, and many are baptized for the first time in the waters of the Jordan.
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him." (Matthew 3:16 17)
Dead Sea
Bordered by Jordan to the east and Palestine to the west, the Dead Sea is one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. Known in Arabic as Al Bahr al Mayyit, its surface sits roughly 430 metres below sea level, the lowest point on the surface of the earth.
Hisham's Palace
Hisham's Palace is one of the chief archaeological sites in Jericho. Its excavated remains reveal the splendor of a magnificent winter palace destroyed by an earthquake in 747 AD. The site preserves royal buildings, a mosque, water fountains, and remarkable mosaic floors that still glow with their original color.
Qumran
Qumran is the site where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, hidden in clay jars by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947. Today, visitors can still admire what archaeologists have uncovered , the remains of a tower, a kitchen, dining halls, and the very chambers where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written.
From hiking in Wadi Qelt to visiting the Church of St. George, from exploring Tel es Sultan to tasting the fresh fruits and vegetables produced year round in the Jericho City Market , this is a city that deserves to be visited at least once in a lifetime.
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