Post date: Nov 01, 2010 2:51:9 PM
One of the oldest cities in the world, the West Bank oasis city of Jericho celebrates 10,000 years of human habitation.
JERICHO, WEST BANK (OCTOBER 13, 2010) REUTERS - Palestinians in the West Bank town of Jericho have celebrated what scientists believe to be 10,000 years of human history in the town.
According to archaeologists the oasis town is on one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with evidence of settlement going back to 9,000 BC. It is also well below sea level and is the lowest permanently inhabited human settlement in the world.
Busloads of pilgrims visited Jericho's sites on the date chosen for the official celebrations: October 10, 2010.The city's mayor, Hasan Saleh, told Reuters of his pride in Jericho's place in the history of mankind.
"Jericho is celebrating its ten-thousand-year anniversary. This is very significant for us. This location, and around this water spring, is where humankind first came down from caves to live in houses, specifically here, around the Ein al-Sultan spring," said Saleh.
Tourists visiting Jericho relax in the city's many springs and tour the Old City and the Mount of Temptation, where Christians believe Jesus was tempted by the devil after fasting for 40 days.
The Director of the Jericho Department at the Palestinian tourism ministry said that the low lying city has seen a large increase in tourist numbers.
"There has been an increase of both foreign and local tourists visiting the city. There has been a 70 percent increase in the numbers of tourists during this period," said Iyad Hamdan.
The Palestinian Authority has asked Israel for jurisdiction over West Bank land in the Jordan Valley for a development project valued at $2.1 billion.
The Western-backed Authority's plan comprises investment of $1.4 billion in a tourist resort on the Dead Sea shore and further spending of $700 million on a new city near Jericho.
The $700 million development zone, Madenat Al-Qamar, is to contain agricultural, industrial and housing developments. It is planned for north of Jericho, on West Bank land that currently falls under full Israeli control. These projects would create 50,000 jobs for Palestinians.
Jericho's casino was full of Israelis until the Palestinian uprising of 2000. Gamblers once crowded the road down to the Dead Sea for a night at the casino until a wave of suicide bomb attacks inside Israel put it far beyond safe limits.
Israel now bars its citizens from entering those parts of the West Bank -- mostly towns like Jericho -- which are under the immediate control of the autonomous Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian security men manning their own checkpoint at the entrance to the town said they were still under orders to turn back Israeli citizens, as Israel currently requires.
For some the 10,000 year anniversary is more a source of frustration than pride.
The actual celebrations were more low key than had been originally hoped for and infastructure projects that had been planned to coincide with the date failed to be completed on time.
"For us, celebrating 10,000 years of history in Jericho should mean making Jericho what it should be: a town with better infrastructure, sewage systems, water systems -- this is what we want Jericho to be," Jericho resident Khaled Hmidi said.
But for another resident, Khamis Kaderi, the celebration was important to show the history of the city to the world.
"This shows the depth of our attachment to the land, our civilisation and our history. We have many sites -- for example Hashem's Palace which goes back hundreds of years -- which are testimony to our civilisation here and our roots in this land," he added.
Citizens of the the oldest city in the world, which has a population of over 20,000 Palestinians and is located 16 kilometres north of Dead Sea, hope that UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural organization) will designate their city as a world heritage site.