By Dr. Randall Smith
Courtesy of Christian Travel Study Programs, Ltd.
Thought by archeologists to be over 10,000 years old, Jericho is the oldest known walled city in the world. When Joshua and the Children of Israel entered the Promised Land for the first time, those walls came “tumbling down”. “When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city” [Joshua 6:20].
Although archeologists have not yet uncovered remains of the famous walls of that time, Tel Jericho (Tel el Sultan located in the modern city) includes the ruins of a large circular tower and fortifications that indicate Jericho’s importance.
Cleopatra once coveted the environs of Jericho. She wanted control of the persimmon plantations from which a perfume that ‘drove men wild’ was produced (unfortunately the plant is now extinct!)
An oasis of lush foliage and abundant springs in a dry desert setting, Jericho has been used over the ages as a winter resort for the wealthy. Herod built himself a palace in Jericho, as did rulers of the Moslem Umayyid dynasty.
In the New Testament, crowds gathered when Jesus paid a visit to Jericho (at nearby Tullul Abu Alaiq). Zacchaeus, a tax collector, wanted to see Jesus, as well. But he was a short man, and he climbed a sycamore-fig tree to get a glimpse of Jesus passing by. [Luke 19:1-4].
© Christian Travel Study Programs, Ltd.
