Tel Balata (Shechem)
The ancient Canaanite City of Shechem is only
1.5 km east of the center of the modern city of Nablus, in the northern
area of the West Bank. The ruins of the city occupy a Tell (hill) of about
50 dunums rising some 525 meters above sea level and at about 20 meters
above the fertile plateau of Askar.
Shechem, meaning shoulder or high place, was
the first name of Nablus. It was given to the city by the Canaanites who
lived there in the middle of the 3 millennium BC. The site is also called
Tell Balata after the village of Balata (now a suburb of Nablus). The houses
of the village occupy about one third of the southern part of the hill.
Archaeological excavations at Tell Balata
indicate that the site was first settled during the 5 millennium BC (The
Chalcolithic period). The Egyptian records from the reign of the Egyptian
pharoah Senworset III indicate that Shechem was an important city state
during the Middle Bronze Age (1900 - 1550 BC). This Age is recognized as
the age of city-states in the history of Palestine. The city flourished
greatly during this period, as can be seen from the great defensive system
and the fine temples and palaces that have been excavated at the site.
The Tell includes many architectural elements, the most impressive of which
are the city walls and the entrance complexes. These are the best examples
of Canaanite defense systems in Palestine. The massive wall that we see
standing today is the third of 4 succesive walls that were built around
the city in different periods. It is a well-preserved structure built of
Cyclopean masonry around 1600 BC.
The two visible gates of Shechem are unique.
The main entrance is the 17 century northwestern gate. It is triple chambered
with two massive towers on each side opening onto the main street of the
city. The other entrance is on the East Side of the city wall. It is double
chambered and dates back to 1625 - 1575 BC. It is believed that the city
had a third gate on the southeastern side of the wall, but this is not
visible today.
The governor's palace is located right inside
the northern gate. It includes a small private temple, guardrooms, an assembly,
kitchen, and living rooms. The holy temple lies east of the palace and
dates from the end of the Middle Bronze Age. The fortress temple on the
summit of the hill is the largest and the most impressive surviving Canaanite
temple in Palestine. It measures 26.8 meters long and 24.2 meters wide,
its walls are about 5 meters thick. Archaeologists believe that it was
a two-storey building. It has one entrance to the east, in the middle of
which is a column to support a roof, and on each side of the entrance is
a massive tower. The eastern tower has a stairway that might have led to
the second floor. Inside the main hall are two rows of columns.
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.