site

Burqin Church

The Fifth holiest Christian place and the third oldest church in the world

Located in the village of Burqin, 3 kms west of Jenin lies the Burqin church also known as st. Goerge's church. It is considered the fifth oldest sacred Christian place in the world, and the third oldest church. According to Christian tradition, Jesus Christ passed through Burqin on his way to Jerusalem from Nazareth in the early days of Christianity. As he was passing by the village he heard the cries for help from 10 lepers who were imprisoned as a way of quarantine. He went to them and passed his hand on their faces and they were immediately cured. Since this miracle, the church became a station for many Christian pilgrims.

Excavations show that the church passed through 4 different historical periods. The first church was built over the cave where the miracle is said to have taken place, and which looks like a Roman cistern. The cave has an opening on top and it contains an altar and a stone wall at the entrance. A second construction was added to the church dating to a period between the 5th - 9th century. During the twelfth century, the church was rebuilt after a long period of abandonment whose reasons remain a mystery. After the 13th century the church was rebuilt and used as a school.

Sites in Jericho City

Monastery of Temptation
Constructed in the 19th Century to replace the monastery constructed by the crusaders in the 12th century - this site marks the mountain where Jesus fasted and mediated for 40 days withstanding Satan's temptation.

Nabi Musa
Eight-KM SW of Jericho, according to loacl tradition, theis Maqam (Tomb) is the site where the Prohphet Moses is buried - and has been a site of pilgrimage since the 12th Century.

Qumran
20-Km south fo Jericho lies the site of one of the world's most ancient monasteries "monastery of the Essenes" - the site where the 2,000 year-old Dead Sea scrolls were found.

Hisham's Palace
Five-KM north of Jericho are the ruins of the desert palace of UMayyad Caliph Hisham Ibn Abdul Malik destroyed by earthquake before it was completed in 747 AD, containing royal buildings, a mosque, water fountains & spectacular mosaic floors.

River Jordan
Eight-KM east of Jericho is the traditional site of the baptism of Jesus -unreachable to tourists because it is a military area, but is used by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church in season.

Dead Sea
405 meters below sea level make the Dead Sea the lowest point on earth, which because of its high salt content makes it inhospitable to life - but helpful in treating skin diseases.

Tel-as-Sultan (ancient Jericho)
Two-Km NW of Jericho lies Tel-as-Sultan where settlements dating from 9,000 BC. have been uncovered. Including the oldest stairway, wall and a round fortified tower dated to 7,000 BC.