بحث عن أريحا بالانجليزيJericho

Jericho is believed to be one of, if not the oldest cities in the world. It was the first city captured by the Israelites after their 40 years of wandering in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. Ironically, Jericho (along with the Gaza Strip) was the first territory given to the Palestinians by Israel as part of their [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] in 1994. Today, the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] is developing the town in hopes of making it a major tourist attraction. It is also where [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] maintains a home.

Jericho sits between Mt. Nebo in the east, the Central Mountains to the west and the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] to the south. In addition to these natural fortifications, Jericho also benefited from natural irrigation afforded by the Jordan River approximately four miles to the west, and from underground tributaries from the Central Mountains which fed her famous oasis. This irrigation resulted in teeming plant life and helped to transform Jericho into a flowing sea of green in an otherwise barren desert. Besides being old, Jericho is also one of the lowest cities in the world, about 800 feet (244 m) below sea level.

Jericho's natural resources, beauty, and natural defenses caused her to become the ideal locale for trade. These attributes also made her the source of envy and a coveted possession for invaders of ancient Palestine. Given that Jericho is located in roughly central Palestine, access to her neighboring city-states was a major key to Jericho's importance to invaders and to traders alike. Jericho's location was ideal for the establishing of trade routes and for communication exchange.

According to Jewish tradition, after the Israelites' 40-year sojourn in the desert, Joshua decides the first city in Canaan he will conquer is Jericho. God tells him that he will be victorious and instructs Joshua to have his troops march around the walls of the city once a day for six days. The force is to be led by seven priests walking beside the Ark of the Covenant containing the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] and blowing rams' horns (shofarot). On the seventh day, the troops are supposed to circle the city seven more times, then the priests are ordered to blow their horns and the soldiers to shout, and the walls of the city, God tells Joshua, will tumble down. This is precisely what happens according to the Bible ([ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط]).

Jericho later fell to the Babylonians, but was rebuilt when the Jews were allowed to return from their exile. The city continued to be a resort during the rule of the succeeding empires. For Christians, Jericho took on importance because of its association with John the Baptist, who was said to have been baptized by the banks of the Jordan on the eastern boundary of the city ([ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط], and the story of the temptation of Christ ([ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط]).

The [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] destroyed the old city in the first century, but it was rebuilt in its present location by the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط]. The city briefly returned to glory when Caliph Hisham Ibn Abd el-Malik built his winter palace in Jericho in 743, but an earthquake destroyed virtually the entire city just four years later. The city later fell to the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] and then was recaptured by Saladin. Jericho was largely ignored and deserted for centuries afterward.

The [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] allocated the area to the Arab state, but, after the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط], it was controlled by Jordan. Many Arabs who left other parts of Palestine moved to the area and a number of UN refugee camps were set up. A Palestinian nationalist named Musa Alami founded an agricultural school to train refugees in 1951, which is still in operation. The territory was subsequently captured by Israel in the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط].

The main attraction in Jericho is the Tel e-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho. In reality, little remains beyond a few piles of rocks that archaeologists now tell us were once parts of towers, staircases and other structures that date back at least 7,000 years. The oldest stairs and wall in the world are on the site. The layers of 23 ancient civilizations were uncovered here and may be as much as 9,000 years old.

Nearby is the Spring of Elisha, or Sultan's Spring, where the prophet sweetened the water ([ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط]). This is the source of water for the oasis. During the construction of a private home north of the spring, builders discovered the mosaic floor of an ancient [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] decorated with Jewish symbols, such as a [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] and ram's horn. A Hebrew inscription reads, "Peace to Israel." This is the Shalom Al Yisrael Synagogue. A second, older synagogue, which is believed to have been built in the 5th or 6th century, was also discovered by accident. The Na'aran Synagogue was found after the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] shelled a British army unit camped on the spot. It too has a mosaic floor, this one with the Zodiac, the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den and pictures of sacred objects from the Temple.

Directly across from the Tel is a huge tourist complex with shops and a restaurant where every tour bus stops. A new hotel is being constructed as well. Another new addition since the Palestinian takeover is a modern cable car that whisks visitors to the Mount of Temptation. A 19th-century Greek Orthodox monastery sits on the cliff. This is where Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world in exchange for his homage. Inside the monastery is a cave where Jesus is believed to have stayed during the 40 days he spent in the wilderness fasting after his baptism. At the foot of the mountain are the remains of the sugar mills built by the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط] in the 11th century.

Less than two miles from Old Jericho is Caliph Hisham's Palace. The building dates to the 7th century during the Umayyad period of the [ندعوك للتسجيل في المنتدى أو التعريف بنفسك لمعاينة هذا الرابط]. It was apparently designed as a winter resort from the Caliph, but was destroyed by an earthquake before he had a chance to use it. Parts of the building were preserved and some of the artifacts were removed and are on display at the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.

Perhaps the biggest attraction in Jericho today is the Oasis casino, the only legal gambling establishment in the region, and a magnet for Israelis.

About four miles east of Jericho (six km.) is the Allenby Bridge, one of the two crossing points into Jordan. The bridge is named after the famous general who led British troops during World War I and helped conquer much of the Middle East, including Palestine.