Oldest City in Israel: Jericho

Jericho (Arabic: Ariha; Hebrew: Yeriho), located in the Jordan Valley, West Bank, is widely regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with archaeological evidence dating to ~9,000 BCE (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A).

Key Facts

• Tell es-Sultan (Ancient Jericho): Excavations reveal walls, tower (c. 8000 BCE), round mud-brick houses.
• Biblical Significance: First city conquered by Israelites under Joshua (Joshua 6).
• Modern Jericho: Palestinian city (~20,000 pop.), Area A (PA control), major tourist site.
• Nearby: Mount of Temptation, Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls), Dead Sea.

While other ancient cities (Byblos, Damascus, Aleppo, Çatalhöyük) claim great antiquity, Jericho's continuous habitation and early fortifications make it the leading candidate.