First trip to Jericho

A couple of weekends ago, we took a little road trip down to Jericho.  A few quick facts about Jericho--it is one of oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world (if not THE oldest).  It is in one of the lowest spots on Earth (if not THE lowest), some 800 feet below sea level.  And it is home to several Biblical sites--Zacchaeus's tree, Elisha's spring, and nearby, the Mount of Temptations.  On this exploratory trip, we did not get out and see these sites.  We decided to plan another trip after getting a lay of the land.

On this trip, we ate lunch and then we visited the ruins of Hisham's Palace.  Hisham's palace dates back almost 1400 years and is not only abnormally large for a desert castle, it boasts some impressive mosaic work from the Umayyad period.  Excavation was begun by a British team in the 1930's, and the ruins are in remarkably good shape.  It was pretty fascinating, but it was HOT, so we didn't stay too long.

BIG ol' palace--2 stories tall, with a bathhouse, a mosque, and a courtyard

 Two mosaics in the bath house

Look!  We helped make it a tourist attraction!  USA! USA!