Stunning mosaic uncovered in Jericho after 8 decades out of view
Unveiling is propelling archaeological site to popularity
The beauty of the mosaic is only overshadowed by its size.
Seven million mosaic stones, each less than one square centimeter, cover the floor of the main hall of Hisham’s
Palace in Jericho, West Bank.
For years, this work of art remained hidden, but last month it was briefly uncovered ahead of being officially opened to the public.
The mosaic was first discovered in 1935 by Palestinian archaeologist Dimitri Baramki, and the British archaeologist Robert Hamilton – but had been buried under sand to protect it from erosion.
Following a three-month excavation process, the resurfaced stones bring to life stunning, nearly perfect geometric patterns, each intricately detailed in one of 38 floor sections. The patterns, in bright reds and pinks, radiate outward from the central mosaic – a floral design of interlocking triangles.Â
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Jericho is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. The city is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. Jericho is among the oldest cities in the world. Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of more than 20
successive settlements in Jericho, the first of which dates back 11,000 years (to 9000 BCE), almost to the very beginning of the Holocene epoch of the Earth's history. Copious springs in and around the city have attracted human habitation for thousands of years. Jericho is described in the Bible as the "city of palm trees".
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Following the era of Mandatory Palestine, the West Bank was annexed and ruled by Jordan starting in 1950, then was occupied by Israel in 1967. Administrative control of Jericho was handed over to the Palestinian Authority in 1994. The city had a population of 20,907 in 2017. In 2023, the archaeological site in the center of the city, known as Tell es-Sultan / Old Jericho, was inscribed in UNESCO's list as a World Heritage Site in the State of Palestine, and described as the "oldest fortified city in the world".