Jericho: The First City on Earth with 11,000 Years of History

A valley carved by time, a city built and rebuilt through conquest and survival, Jericho is no ordinary place. Just west of the Jordan River, it has seen more than 11,000 years of human history unfold within its walls. This is a city where ancient Canaanites built fortresses, where biblical armies marched, where Romans bathed in luxury, and where prophets once walked. Its towering stone walls, constructed over 8,000 years ago, are some of the oldest ever built, evidence that even in prehistory, people saw Jericho as worth defending. Civilizations have risen and fallen here, yet Jericho remains, standing through earthquakes, wars, and political upheaval. Today, its streets are filled with modern life, but beneath them lies a story stretching back to the very dawn of civilization. How has this ancient city survived so long? Step inside the walls of Jericho, the oldest city in the world. Many places claim the title of the world's oldest city, but Jericho's case is unique. While sites like Gobekli Tepe in Turkey and Tell Karamel in Syria contain structures older than Jericho's, those locations were abandoned for long stretches. Jericho, on the other hand, never truly emptied. Generation after generation, people have lived here, rebuilt after disasters, and even continued a legacy that began when Mastodons still roamed the earth. The city's walls, some of which date back to around 8,000 BCE, are some of the earliest defensive structures ever built. That alone tells us something. This wasn't just a temporary settlement, this was a place people intended to hold. But why here? The answer lies in the landscape. Unlike other regions that struggled with food and water, Jericho had a natural advantage. The Ayn Es Sultan Spring. This freshwater source meant that even in the harshest droughts, people could survive. Early inhabitants built their homes using mud and bricks, crafting a settlement that would grow into something far greater. By 7,000 BCE, it was a thriving Neolithic community, complete with circular homes, granaries, and a massive stone tower, one of the oldest standing structures in human history. It's likely that the tower wasn't just defensive, but also ceremonial, possibly aligning with the sun's position during certain times of the year. This means that before the pyramids, before Stonehenge, before recorded history itself, the people of Jericho were already constructing monumental architecture. By the Bronze Age, Jericho had evolved. The Canaanites built a powerful fortress here, turning the city into a stronghold. Its strategic position made it a key location for trade, warfare, and religion. The city appears repeatedly in ancient texts, including the Hebrew Bible, where it's described as the first Canaanite city conquered by the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. According to the Book of Joshua, the Israelites, led by Joshua, marched around the city for seven days before its walls collapsed, a story that has echoed through history. But biblical stories aside, what does the archaeology tell us? Excavations reveal that Jericho was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. Layers of ash and rubble suggest that the city was burned, possibly by invaders. While there's no definitive proof of Joshua's conquest, we do know that by 1500 BCE, the city had suffered some catastrophic event. Whether it was war, an earthquake, or something else, the city was left in ruins, only to rise again. The Greeks came, then the Romans, and with them, Jericho took on new forms. During the Hasmonean and Herodian periods, 2nd century BCE and 1st century CE, it became a hub of wealth and luxury. Herod the Great, the Roman-appointed king of Judea, built a winter palace here, complete with elaborate pools, gardens, and bathhouses. This wasn't just a desert outpost anymore, it was a city of power. The climate made it perfect for growing dates and balsam, two highly valuable commodities in the ancient world. Trade flourished. It was during this time that Jericho became deeply tied to Christianity. The New Testament describes Jesus passing through Jericho, where he healed a blind man named Bartimaeus, and encountered Zacchaeus, a tax collector who famously climbed a sycamore tree to see him. These stories cemented Jericho's place in Christian history, making it an important pilgrimage site for centuries to come. But history never stands still. In 636 CE, Muslim armies led by the Rashidun Caliphate took control of Jericho, marking the city's transition into the Islamic world. It flourished under the Umayyads, who built Hisham's Palace, a stunning desert complex just north of the city. Though an earthquake destroyed much of it in 749 CE, the palace remains as one of the surviving examples of early Islamic art and architecture. Its intrinsic mosaics, including the famous Tree of Life, show the sophistication of the civilization that ruled here. Then came the Crusaders, the Mamluks, the Ottomans, each leaving their mark on Jericho. Through centuries of conquests, earthquakes, and political shifts, the city endured. It became known as the City of Palms, a title that still holds true today, with vast date palm groves surrounding the area. Jericho's importance continued into the modern era. Under British rule in the early 20th century, the city remained a key agricultural center. Later, it became part of Jordan before being transferred to Palestinian control in 1994, making it the first city governed by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords. And despite being thousands of years old, Jericho isn't finished yet. Archaeologists continue to dig, uncovering layers of history that push our understanding of civilization even further back. But while the sands of time have preserved its ancient past, the city faces new challenges. Earthquakes have long been a silent enemy, shaking its foundations throughout the centuries. In 1927, a powerful quake struck, leveling much of the city and killing hundreds. By then, Jericho was a shadow of its former self, a small town of fewer than 2,000 residents, struggling against both natural disasters and economic hardship. But Jericho has never been a city that simply fades away. It rebuilt as it always had, yet rebuilding alone wasn't enough to protect it from the tides of history. The 20th century saw new battles for control. In 1948, after the end of the British Mandate and the Arab-Israeli War, Jericho became part of Jordan. It expanded rapidly, absorbing thousands of Palestinian refugees who had fled newly formed Israel. By 1960, the population had surged to around 10,000. Then, in 1967, everything changed. The Six-Day War saw Israel sweep into the West Bank, taking control of Jericho and the surrounding region. Many Palestinian families who had found refuge there after 1948 fled once more, bringing the city's population down to 7,000. The rapid Israeli occupation transformed the landscape. New roads were built, movement was restricted, and settlements began to rise around the city. For the next 27 years, Jericho remained under Israeli rule, its future uncertain. Then came a turning point, 1994. Under the Oslo Accords, Israel agreed to transfer Jericho to the Palestinian Authority, making it the first Palestinian city to gain self-governance. There was hope that this ancient city, after centuries of conquest and destruction, might finally find peace. But while it was now under Palestinian control, its surroundings told a different story. Israeli settlements began to encircle Jericho, reshaping its borders. To the north, Na'omi. To the south, Almog. Just beyond the city's refugee camps, the settlement of Vered Yiriko, practically pressing against Jericho's edge. Further along the road to Jerusalem, more settlements, each one tightening the space available to the people of Jericho. Today, practically the entire 30-kilometer route from Jericho to Jerusalem passes through Israeli-controlled territory. To the east, the River Jordan forms a natural border, but strict military controls make movement difficult. Despite these restrictions, Jericho remained one of the quieter cities in the West Bank, largely avoiding the violent cycles that gripped places like Jenin and Nablus. But peace doesn't mean prosperity. The city now faces a new battle, one that threatens its very survival, water. For a city that has existed for over 11,000 years, water has always been the key to life. But today, Jericho's wells are drying up. Under the Oslo Accords, Palestinian areas were allowed to dig wells up to 150 meters deep. But Israeli settlements face no restriction. This means deeper water reserves are accessible to some, but not to others. Climate change is making things worse. Droughts are becoming longer, temperatures are rising, and agricultural lands that sustained Jericho for millennia are shrinking. Farming, once the backbone of Jericho's economy, is in decline. Date palms still stand, but their yield is lower. The region's famous balsam groves, which once made Jericho a center of perfume production in the ancient world, are long gone. With agriculture struggling, tourism has become the city's lifeline. But that, too, is fragile. Jericho should be a global tourism hotspot. It has everything. History, religious significance, ancient ruins. In 2020, UNESCO granted it World Heritage status, recognizing its unparalleled past. But instead of celebrating, the announcement sparked controversy. Israel condemned the decision, calling it politically motivated. And while a UNESCO designation should mean greater preservation efforts and international funding, political tensions make that nearly impossible. Still, tourists come. Christian pilgrims visit sites like the Mount of Temptation, where tradition holds that Jesus fasted for 40 days. Others explore Hisham's Palace, with its breathtaking 8th century mosaics. Yet, tourism in Jericho is unpredictable. When conflict flares elsewhere in the region, visitors disappear. Without stability, the city's economy remains on a nice edge. And then there's the refugee crisis. Jericho is the administrative capital of a governorate that holds around 50,000 people, with 14,000 of them living in refugee camps. For these families, life in Jericho is filled with uncertainty. Limited job opportunities, restricted movement, and political instability that make it difficult to plan for the future. So where does that leave Jericho? It's a city caught between its legendary past and uncertain future. It has survived for thousands of years, through wars, earthquakes, conquests, and exile. It has been a Neolithic village, a Canaanite fortress, a Roman resort, a biblical landmark, and an Islamic stronghold. Every time it has fallen, it has risen again. But history alone won't keep Jericho standing. It needs stability, investment, and solutions to its growing resource problems. Without those, one of the world's oldest cities could face one of its greatest challenges yet. If you enjoyed this deep dive into Jericho's past and present, make sure to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss a new video. Oh, and do drop your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you in the next one.