Jericho, Israel/ Palestinian Authority
When I hear the name Jericho my first thoughts are about “Gaza and Jericho first” – the agreement that first gave the PA control over cities.
So It make sense that I expect Jericho to be a city, like Gaza. Tall Buildings, Dense population, with agriculture around it.
That isn’t Jericho. Jericho, claimed to be the first place people settle down (8000BC!), the place that the people of Israel first conquered when they enter the city (after circling the walls of it seven times) – Is not a city.
The reason people settle here was because of Ein es-Sultan spring, making the city an Oasis in the middle of the desert. So the people of Jericho works in agriculture making the place a hugh green village in the middle of the desert =)
Great place to visit =) The absurd is although Jericho is only an hour from my parents’ home, I never visit it – because it was in list of dangerous of places to Israelis to visit. We covered ourselves as tourists and got in. Everybody knew we are Israelis, but the Palestinians welcome us as long we are only tourists =)
Enjoy the Pic!
Take Care
Gad
Jericho from Dir al-Cartanel (Monastery of Temptation)
The impressive building of the Russian church and his well trimmed garden
The Funicular climbing to the Cartanel
Jericho – the grey and the green – from the Funicular
The Cartanel on the cliff above
The entrance to the Cartanel
The main corridor of the Cartanel: On one side the rock and on the other doors to rooms of pilgrims who want to meditate
Caves on the rock, on the corridor side
The Chapel of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
The rock on which Jesus set forty days and forty, nights fasting and meditating during the temptation of Satan. The name Cartanel, comes from the Latin word for forty Quadraginta
As one lady said – “He sat here? He was probably very skinny…”
A short walk we did to the caves on the cliff.
Nice toilets =) sitting above a cliff and all that holds you is couple of timber beams.
The Garden of the Ein es-Sultan spring
Ein es-Sultan spring (look on the size of the pipe! imagine how much water they pump and how much water keeps flowing!)
The spring on a pic from April 1918 (Source: Australian War Memorial)
Tel es-Sultan (Tel-Jericho) from above.
The entrance to Tel Jericho (as we call it, and as the blue sign from the Israeli regime) or Tel es-Sultan as they call it
The most important part of the site – the Pre Pottery Neolithic age Wall of Jericho What might makes Jericho the most old city in the world!
When you dig those kind of sites, you usually find pottery in the layers. But at the lowest layer here all you cannot find pottery but only red wood that use instead of pottery.
The walls of Jericho.=)
Unlike most of the walls in the middle east they are not made from large blocks of rock but from clay bricks. Apparently it hold better against siege machines (the walls don’t fall apart but absorb most of the energy).
Those are probably not the walls that the Israelite destroyed in the battle of Jericho(the date doesn’t fit). It might be the small part that you can see under the funicular.
The “Sahlom Al Yisrael” Synagogue building.
The Oslo agreements were supposed to allow Israelis free access to the synagogue, but since 2000, only monthly visits are allowed =(
The Hisham’s Palace in the north of Jericho. The Last site in the tour.
As you can see it become orange and dark because a sand storm in coming.
The entrance to the Palace itself
Drainage hole in the palace
A palace window
The mosaic in the bath house, and the columns of the bath house
Ruins of the damage caused by the 747AC earthquake
The sand storm is coming!
mmmm… Cold strawberry Fanta, haven’t that for years!
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