Jericho is one of the oldest continuously inhabited towns on earth, and at Tell es-Sultan, on its northern edge, archaeologists have dug down through layers of settlement more than ten thousand years old. Among the finds is a great stone tower, built in the Neolithic, around eleven thousand years ago, long before writing, metal or the wheel, which is often called the oldest such tower in the world. The tell, with its trenches and mud brick walls, was listed as a World Heritage Site in 2023.
Jericho lies in the Jordan valley, some two hundred and fifty metres below sea level, and the low altitude gives it a warm climate even in winter, when people from Jerusalem come down for sunshine. Spring water from the Ein es-Sultan, the spring beside the tell, made it an oasis of palms, bananas and citrus in the desert. The Mount of Temptation rises to the west, with a Greek Orthodox monastery clinging to the cliff, reached by a cable car from near the tell. Hisham's Palace, an eighth century Umayyad palace with a superb mosaic of a lion and gazelles under a tree, is just north of town.
The road down from Jerusalem drops more than a kilometre in height through the Judean desert, a dramatic descent with bare hills and Bedouin camps. In summer the heat in the valley is extreme, often over forty degrees, and riding at midday is punishing. Winter and spring are the best seasons.
Jericho is in the Palestinian territories, in the West Bank, and travel here involves checkpoints and security issues that can change quickly; insurance for rental vehicles may not cover entry, so check carefully before planning a visit and follow your government's travel advice. The town has fuel, restaurants and markets selling dates, fruit and vegetables. Try the local dates and fresh juice, and the musakhan, chicken roasted with onions and sumac on flatbread.