In a story first published by the Jerusalem Post, Travelujah’s RYAN JONES takes a look at how the city of Jericho is marking 10,000 years of history…
The ancient city of Jericho is literally older than history itself. Recorded history started in the 4th millennium BC with the advent of written language. By that time, Jericho had already existed as an ancient walled city for 4,000 years.
JERICHO AS IT IS: The city has a history which dates back 10,000 years. PICTURE: © Tim Kimberley (www.istockphoto.com)
Ancient Jericho and the surrounding area are rich with tourism treasures. Here are some of them…
• HISHAM’S PALACE, a 6th century winter retreat built by the Umayyad Empire, boasts stunning mosaic floors. Much of the floor has not yet been uncovered but for a short period this month, part of it is on public display. A smaller mosaic floor situated in the ancient bathhouse is visible year round.
• QARANTAL, a Greek Orthodox monastery, is situated on the Mount of Temptation, and is the place where Jesus fasted for 40 days and was tempted by Satan and where Jesus rejects three proposals and is directed by the spirit of God (Mark 1: 12-13, Matthew 4: 1-11, Luke 4: 1-13) agree. A cable car brings people from the lowest city on earth up to the cliffs near the monastery.
• ANCIENT JERICHO is an incredible archaeological site with findings from the ancient Biblical city dating back over 10,000 years. Some believe the uncovered walls correspond with the Biblical story of Joshua.
• QASR EL YAHUD BAPTISMAL SITE is the ancient baptismal site situated on the Jordan River. Many believe it is the actual site where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist.
• ST GEORGE’S MONASTERY (Greek Orthodox) is an unusual 5th century monastery built by an Egyptian monk, and re-built in the 19th century. Its name is derived from the well known Gorgias of Coziba who lived there. The Prat stream runs through the deep canyon and parts of the ancient aqueduct that were built to bring its waters to Herod’s Palace in the town of Jericho, still remain today. According to tradition, this is also where the prophet Elijah was fed by ravens.
During its long 10,000 years, Jericho has seen much. If the city’s ancient stones could talk, they would fill several libraries with their stories. Empires have come and gone, but still the ancient city of Jericho thrives as an oasis in a dry and arid region.
In many ways, Jericho is the very symbol of man’s transition from a wandering, nomadic society that relied solely on hunting and gathering to a settled existence made possible by the discovery of agriculture. In other words, the building of ancient Jericho’s walls in roughly 8,000 BC marks the change from a wild existence to civilization. That this symbol still exists as a living city is nothing short of astonishing.
To mark this incredible anniversary, the Palestinian Authority has decided to invest heavily in the redevelopment of Jericho as a tourism hub. Plans include new resorts, an airport and even a 1,000-acre palm tree forest. Much of the funding will come from private companies, like the Palestine Development and Investment Limited, which will reportedly put an estimated $US500 million toward various projects.
Joseph Sahouri, international relations coordinator for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told Travelujah that the vision is to “create a wide-ranging developmental momentum in the ancient Jericho region that corresponds to, and tackles the untapped potential of the city in all its outstanding historical, cultural, natural, religious aspects.”
The foundations for achieving that are already in place. As noted on the Jericho 10,000 website, the city is “characterised by a warm semi-tropical climate, the city teems with life, utilizing its abundant natural resources: water springs, fertile earth, and hospitable people.” In short, a perfect vacation destination, especially for those interested in history.
The work that has already started in Jericho is bearing fruit. The number of annual visitors to the city was up 16 per cent from 2009 to 2010. More importantly, visitors are increasingly staying in Jericho overnight and spending more days in the ancient city. Overnights in Jericho were up by over 70 percent during the same time period.
There remains much work to be done, and the political climate in the region does not always lend itself to rapid progress, but there is little doubt that Jericho possesses enormous potential to become one of the world’s premier tourist attractions. After all, mankind has deemed the location a prime place to live for at least 10,000 years. No other city in the world can say that.
Ryan Jones writes for Travelujah, a Christian social network focused on fostering a deeper connection with faith through Holy Land tours.
