Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the Walls came Tumbling Down

Author: Michael L Weiss

Well, you can’t talk about Jericho without singing the song right? Here we are, in the oldest inhabited city in the world and includes what is believed to be the oldest stone guard tower in the world, the oldest protective walls of the city, and if that is enough of all time accolades, the lowest city in the world at 850 feet below sea level. The city dates back 11,000 years and at least to me is hard to comprehend that a city built so long ago is still populated. To those of faith, Jericho is where the Israelites first entered the Land of Promise after exile in Egypt.

The Old Testament describes how Joshua and the army of Israelites followed God’s assurances and marched in silence for 6 days with the Ark of the Covenant around the mighty walls of the city. On the seventh day, they were to march seven times, and on the seventh time, they are to shout and blow the trumpets and the walls of the city will crumble. Well, I cannot attest to what happened, but standing here today in a city that is 11,000 years old is amazing in itself.

Our West Bank Palestinian hosts are welcoming as Susan mentioned in a prior post and made sure we felt comfortable as we left our tour bus at the foot of the old city. . On our approach from Israel (remember Jericho is in the Palestinian Territory) you go through a checkpoint that bar non-Arabic Israelis from entering. Our Guide who is Israeli has an exception as most registered guides do. Driving from the checkpoint to the Old City my initial impressions were as expected moving through less desirable sections to more affluent sections as you get closer to the old city and tourist center. Much of the area was neglected and the buildings were in poor shape, but as we approach the center the buildings and surrounding area are far better maintained. Jericho is one of the larger cities in the Palestinian Territory and many Israeli Arabs living near Tel Aviv or Jerusalem have second homes here.

As we begin our walk up to the Old City, a Palestinian guide begins telling us that this ancient site had no less than 20 successive settlements built on top of one another. You can see in the ruins layers and layers of development changing from small clay bricks to larger stone blocks to more uniformed shapes in each successive build. Seeing it in person was like opening up a time capsule for me and it was fascinating to see. As we move through the ruins (from afar) the first thing that was pointed out to us was the large round guard tower built in the earliest of times and was found in the lowest level and oldest section of the city. Interestingly to see the tower, you have to look down as the city kept building on top of existing structures over time. As we complete the site tour we go by what would have been the front gates to the city and you can clearly see the massive support walls, the ones that came tumbling down, and the road and entrance through the main gates into the city center. While I have seen larger ancient cities in much better shape this was an incredible ancient city to see given its importance to the religious beliefs of so many.

After our tour, we ate lunch at the local market with other groups from around the world who were also visiting this important historical site. After lunch, we had time for some quick shopping in a small area located on the first floor. If someone ever asks me what was the most memorable event about this visit I would hand down say, seeing a camel take a liking to Bob Henely, and let’s leave this here. Would I come back to Jericho not unless it was for study or work. However, stating that, I am so fortunate that I was able to see the Oldest City on the Planet and will tell the story to friends and family from this point forward.