Jericho (Arabic أريحا, ʼArīḥā; Hebrew יְרִיחוֹ, Standard Yəriḥo Tiberian Yərîḫô / Yərîḥô; Greek Ἱεριχώ) is a town in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories, located within the Jericho Governorate, near the Jordan River. Its name may be derived from the word meaning "moon" in Hebrew and Canaanite, as the city was an early center of worship for lunar deities. Despite the city's long history, Jericho was first mentioned in the Book of Numbers.

Jericho is believed to be the oldest continuously-inhabited city of the world, and archaeologists have unearthed the remains of over 20 successive settlements there, dating back to 11,000 years ago (9000 BCE).

Jericho has a population of approximately 25,000 Palestinians. The current mayor is Hassan Saleh, a former lawyer. Three separate settlements have existed at or near the current location for more than 11,000 years. The position is on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea.

Jericho has been described as a "city of Palm trees" where the copious springs of both tepid and cold waters gave rise to orchards of Lemons, Oranges, Bananas, Caster Oil plants and where melons, figs and grapes were grown. The cultivation of sugar cane was introduced by the crusaders.

Roman and Byzantine period

The first developments of Jericho probably took place in the days of John Hyrcanus I and included the construction of a long well-built water channel to carry water from the Wadi Qelt springs to the city as well as a royal estate and the first phase of a winter palace. Herod the Great later managed to build three independent palaces which ultimately functioned as one at the same site. The dramatic murder of Aristobulus III in a swimming pool at Jericho, as told by the Roman historian Josephus, took place during a banquet organized by Herod's Hasmonean mother-in-law. In ca. 30 BCE, control of Jericho was taken from Herod and transferred to Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. The city, since the construction of its palaces, functioned not only as an agricultural center and as a crossroad, but as a winter resort for Jerusalem's aristocracy.

The Christian Bible states that Jesus passed through Jericho where he cured two blind men and converted a local tax collector named Zacchaeus. Christianity took hold in the city during the Byzantine era and a domed church dedicated to Saint Eliseus was erected there.

Recent history

The present city was captured from Jordan by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967 along with the rest of the West Bank. It was one of the first cities handed over to Palestinian Authority control in 1994, in accordance with the Oslo accords, which saw construction of the Oasis casino. The other city handed over to the Palestinians was Gaza. Jericho was re-occupied by Israel during the Al-Aqsa Intifada of 2001.