Picture of Stone tower of the old city of Jericho, some 10,000 years old (Jericho, Palestinian Territories)

Remains of a tower of the fortified town of Jericho, dating back to 8000 BCE

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While the ruins are not spectacular to see for the casual visitor, Tel es-Sultan certainly impresses for its incredible age. At some 10,000 years, it is probably the oldest settlement in the world.
Anyway, much of the site still remains uncovered - or so it seems. You can walk almost anywhere, and climbing one of the many hills is quite exciting once you realize that under the soil under your feet there might be houses that are some 10,000 years old. Actually, the oldest houses would be in the lowest layer; as was custom, new cities were often built over existing ones: the resulting hill is called a "tel" in both Hebrew and Arabic. The reason for this was quite logical: the mud houses were susceptible to rain and would have to be rebuilt once a scarce flood had hit the area. Another requirement for a settlement, water, can still be found nearby at Ein es-Sultan: it is actually still being used for providing water to Jericho and makes it the oasis it is.
Read more about: Tel es-Sultan

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Asia Central&South America brown pink excavations monument grey silver Jericho Namibian Roadsides Palestinian Territories Spain ruins museum Tel es-Sultan Harar Street Scenes tower gothic

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