Jericho

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JERICHO

City in the West Bank, situated at the northern end of the Dead Sea. Considered to be the oldest city in the world, Jericho (Ariha, in Arabic) is 825 feet below sea level. According to Biblical tradition, the city was conquered by the Hebrews under Joshua in the twelfth century b.c.e., through the power of a shofar sounded by priests. After the signature in Washington on 13 September 1993 of the Israeli-Palestinian Declaration of Principles, Jericho became the first "autonomous" Palestinian city.

SEE ALSO West Bank.

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