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Byzantine-Christian Jericho was situated in and around the modern town. Several churches and monasteries have been discovered here, the most important of which is the Monastery of Temptation "Dair Quruntul". The mountain of temptation "Jabal Quruntul" rises about 350m west of Jericho overlooking the Jordan Valley. Here, Jesus spent 40 days and nights fasting and meditating during the temptation of Satan. The thirty to forty caves on the eastern slopes of the mountain were inhabited by monks and hermits since the early days of Christianity. The path leading to the Greek monastery is very steep and difficult to climb, but a visit to the monastery certainly is worth the walk. Other than the monastery one can see the Roman fortress of Al Doq on the top of the mountain which was built to guard the valley. The word Quruntul derives from the Latin word Quadraginta, meaning "forty" to indicate the forty days of the fast of Christ. The name was given to the mountain by the crusaders in the 12th century. The present monastery was built in 1895 replacing the earlier crusader Church of 12th century date. Visiting hours are from 7am to 3pm and from 4 to 5pm in summer and from 3 to 4pm in winter. |
