From 9,000 BC to the present day: Jericho in the Bible, between historical monuments and fertile land, represents the oldest city in the world… Jericho is a haven of peace in the desert, in the Jordan Valley in Palestine. Also called “the city of palm trees,” Jericho in the Bible is known for its sites full of history on the one hand and its fertile soils on the other. It is also the lowest city in the world, located approximately -240 meters below sea level.

Did you know that Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world? Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of the Tower of Jericho dating back to 9000 BC! This says a lot about the system of organization of the populations of the time since we understand that they succeeded in erecting very thick. And very high walls like so many fortifications to protect the city.

Jericho, in the Bible, was the first city in the Holy Land that fell into the hands of the Israelites under the orders of the successor of Moses, Joshua. The conquering people would have acquired the city after implementing a mysterious ritual of races around it. The numerous archaeological sites in Jericho bear witness to the imprint of religion on this city. And to the diligent work of successive populations who rendered homage to their God through them.

Hisham’s Palace in Jericho in the Bible

A few kilometers from Jericho stands the archaeological site of Hisham’s Palace. It is separated into three parts: the palace, a monument dedicated to the bath, and a place reserved for agriculture. The archaeological excavations carried out by the Americans Baramki and Hamilton at the end of the 20th century made it possible to extract numerous statues and other testimonies of life under the Umayyad dynasty.

The name of the Palace is directly inspired by the name of the Caliph Hisham Adb El’Malik, who began its construction around 743. Unfortunately, only four years after the end of its structure, the Palace was destroyed by a violent earthquake. Archaeological research has uncovered extraordinary mosaics in Hisham’s Palace, testifying to Muslim Art in the 8th century. Among these mosaics, one can admire a sumptuous tree, the branches laden with fruit.

To the left of it, a lion is trying to devour a deer. On the right, we contemplate a peaceful landscape with two stags. It is this mosaic as a whole that is called the “Tree of Life.”

What is Jericho called today?

Jericho is the oldest fortified city in the world; its foundation dates back to 8000 years before the birth of Christ. And, exceeding 10,000 years of history, it contends with Damascus for the importance of being the oldest city in the world.  The city of Jericho is called today “Tell es-Sultan (Hill of the Sultan).” It is a small West Bank city located near the Jordan River. Jericho has long been disputed between the State of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority. It is currently under the latter’s control.

An essential feature of this ancient city is its location. It is located in the depression of the Dead Sea. At -240 meters above sea level, Jericho is the city in the world at the lowest altitude on the planet. This means that the heat, especially in summer, is brutal to bear. The heat combined with the humidity can cause the perceived temperature to reach around 50 degrees.

Representation of the ancient city of Jericho 

What do the walls of Jericho symbolize?

Walls of Jericho in the Bible, an unnatural pebble divider including a definitive Neolithic conclusion in Jericho, processed about 8000 BCE. These dividers, no inferior 13 extremities (4 meters) in level and supported by a guard or stronghold, particularly 28 extremities length, be necessary to safeguard the conclusion and allure available water from human gatecrashers. However, the arms of the chase had existed impoverished for a long time. The divider of Jericho addresses the first change exposed by archeologists who that maybe believed in military purposes.

The mention of the obstruction of the city of Jericho that the Biblical figure of Joshua fell when he “fit” the skirmish of Jericho, presents an exemplification that shows the divider obstructing finances toughening and the double-dealing of the contractor foundation.

Why was Jericho destroyed in the Bible?

In the biblical book of Joshua, the sixth chapter narrates the siege and the taking of Jericho. It is a paradigmatic story: the first city the Israelites find themselves in front of as soon as they cross the Jordan River and arrive in the long-awaited promised land.

Jericho in the Bible was destroyed for the violence of the conquest. The conquest of Jericho breaks the mold of any other example of a siege of a city. The imposing city walls collapse by divine will after the priests in procession blow the trumpets.  

What do we learn from the fall of Jericho?

Jericho in the Biblefall, as written, at the sound of Joshua’s trumpets. The critical discovery – Adnkronos learns – is due to an Italian-Palestinian archaeological mission made up of archaeologists from the Department of Ancient Sciences of the” La Sapienza” at the University of Rome and the newly created Department of Antiquities of Palestine, which is still located on the site of the excavation.

From the fall of Jericho in the Bible, we learn that the walls of Jericho, according to the biblical account (Joshua ‘, 6, 1-27), fell after Joshua blew the trumpets allowing the Israelites to destroy the city and take possession of Palestine. The mission noted. However, that at the time in which the biblical narrator places the events in the 13th century BC. The city no longer existed for at least three centuries.

The discovery is of particular interest as it contradicts the traditional position of biblical archeology. It aimed at demonstrating on the ground and justifying the Israeli occupation of Palestine with that distant event. The majestic ruins of Jericho’s walls impressed the biblical narrator so much that he used them to historicize. And also to localize the oral tradition of the Hebrew conquest.

Primary Takeaways

360 km long, the Jordan flows peacefully in the lowest valley in the world, at – 362m below sea level. However, it has its source high up in the Lebanese mountains of Hermon.

Did you know that it is the only river that crosses this arid region, drawing the borders between Syria, Israel, and Jordan. And Palestine? The Jordan is a high place of pilgrimage since it is in its waters that Jesus would have been baptized by John the Baptist, according to the Bible. After a while along the banks of this river, go for a well-deserved swim in the Dead Sea!

Conclusion

Around the 13th century BC, the city of Jericho in the Bible was razed to the ground by the Jews. Led by Joshua and later became part of the Kingdom of Israel. Falling into Assyrian hands, the Persians then conquered it. Then by the Macedonians, and finally by the Romans. Some sporadic traces remain from this period, such as those of Herod’s palace.

 Around the seventh century AD, Jericho in the Bible was a territory of the Umayyads. In the archaeological area of ​​Jericho, 1.5 km from Tell es-Sultan, admire the remains of Hisham’s Palace, still visible today. Unfortunately, an earthquake hit the structure, but beautiful mosaics still adorned the sumptuous residence. The construction of Hisham’s Palace began under the caliph Hisham ibn ‘Abd al-Malik, right in the first Arab-Muslim period (8th century AD).