Palestine: Day 5, Part 2: Jericho and the Dead Sea

Jericho and the Dead Sea: Palestine's hot pocket

When it comes to records, an area of desert and water where the jurisdictions of the Palestinian Authority, Israel and Jordan meet, can lay claim to two impressive records. The Dead Sea is the lowest spot on earth, and Jericho claims to be the oldest city on the planet.

Jericho

Before this day, I had never heard of the Umayyad people, let alone of Caliph Hisham bin AbdulMalek, whose empire stretched from the Pyrenees to India some 14 centuries ago. His palace (actually, a hunting lodge) just north of Jericho was destroyed, not by a marching army like Jericho's city walls, but by an earthquake. Today, extensive palace ruins contain pillars, walls, mosaics and the stone frame of one lovely reassembled intricatedly carved hexagonal window that is said to have inspired rose windows in French cathedrals. A small museum holds artifacts unearthed at the site.

Jericho Resort Village, where we had lunch, is a luxury property by any standard -- at least judging from the immaculate lobby with.polished stone and gleaming woodwork. Simon Awad of the Environmental Education Centre gave a presentation about threats to wildlife in Palestine, where he said that 537 bird species, 110 mammals and 2,953 plant species have been recorded -- not really surprising  since it lies at the junction of Africa, Asia and Europe. It is a migration corridor for some 500 birds and habitat to indigenous species and winter visitors. Habitat is continually threatened by dwindling water flow in the Jordan River Valley and Israel's practice of burning bushes that provide food and protection for the birds in the name of security.

It is therefore not surprising that environmental awareness is not a Palestinian priority. EEC is seeking to correct that with awareness-raising among Palestinians, youth education, community activities and hopefully  a growth in eco-tourism. Symbolic of the political problems that impact the environment is that when Israel sought to designate the Palestine sunbird (Cinnyris osea) as its national bird, it had to be pointed out that it was already the official bird of Palestine.Both have issued stamps depicting this lovely little bird. It seems that Israel wants everything that would be Palestine's: as much of its land as it can pepper with settlements, control of its water, control of the Palestinian people to move about their land -- and now, their national bird.

Lunch was served in a large swimming-pool-view dining room, where a formal white-draped U-shaped table had been set up as if for a wedding party. The salads, as the regular array of dips, spreads and cold vegetables are called, were followed by two imposing pilafs, one with eggplant and one with cauliflower plus chicken or lamb.

In the afternoon, we toured the excavations of ancient Jericho (aka, Tell es-Sultan, below) located in a spring-fed oasis in the desert. Archeologists have found remains of 23 civilizations and date the original settlement to about 9,000 B.C., and the modern city has decided to celebrate its 10,000th anniversary this October -- specifically on 10/10/10. Plans are vague at best, but such calender symmetry won't come along for another century. Successive civilizations have inhabited this low-lying oasis 1,200 feet below sea level. Common references include the Biblical reference to its habitation by ancient Israelites after wandering around the desert for 40 years, Marc Antony gifting it to Cleopatra and modern Israel's capture of the city from Jordan during the Six-Day War of 1967. To the archeologically unschooled eye, the ruins don't tell much of a story, so the many interpretive signs are useful. I just wish I'd had time to read more of them -- despite the heat.

We went for a dip in the Dead Sea, stopping en route to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the winter of 1946-47 by two Bedouins. I can't tell you the name of the facility that we used for our dip into the saltiest, lowest-elevation lake on earth, but it included a shaded lawn, changing rooms, indoor and outdoor showers, snack bar and wooden pier leading out to the warm salty, mineral-laden water. It's a kick to just float in this remarkable sea, but I was mindful of the terrible degradation it has suffered.

With less Jordan River water to replenish it, the sea has shrunk. The water level has reportedly been dropping three feet  per year and also shrinking in surface area, causing sinkholes to appear along its banks. Mining and extractive uses, ssewage and effluent from fish farms further degrade the lake. While Dead Sea water and mud have therapeutic effects, there's nothing healthy about the crud now allowed to flow into it. Since it is located between Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian controlled land, there seem to be no immediate prospects for mitigating the environmental problems.
For dinner, we rode six-passenger gondola cars (here called a cable car) from a bottom station next to the old Jericho archaeological site to a stony shelf high on Mt. Temptation, where Jesus is said to have fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and been tempted by the Devil. We didn't fast but feasted on the terrace of a multi-level restaurant, cafe and row of small shops set into caves in the cliff. And did I mention the outstanding views of the valley below? A monastery also occupies the shelf, but it was not open when we arrived. We watched the sunset and the full or nearly-full moon rise.

 We overnighted at the InterContinental Jericho, the best hotel of the entire trip -- including the InterContinental Bethlehem where we stayed at the beginning. Stunning woodwork, attractive public spaces and really nice guest rooms made this a traveler's oasis in a geographic oasis. Oh, to have a half-day of down-time there!

Next stop: Jerusalem.