Jerusalem and the Jordan River

Description

City on a Hill

Jerusalem is a city on a hill—actually a cluster of ridges rising about 2,500 feet (760 m) above sea level in the Judean Mountains. From its slopes you can look east across the barren wilderness that drops steeply toward the Jordan Valley, the lowest region on earth. Within just 20 miles (32 km), the land falls more than 3,000 feet (900 m). The air gets hotter, the ground turns rocky and pale, and the green hills of Jerusalem give way to desert burned by the sun.

The Drop to Jericho

The road down from Jerusalem to Jericho is about 15 miles (24 km). It winds through deep ravines and dusty cliffs, falling from mountain heights to 825 feet (250 m) below sea level. People in Bible times called it a dangerous road—steep, narrow, and filled with robbers. That’s the same road Jesus talked about in his story of the Good Samaritan.

A healthy hiker could make the trip in six to eight hours, though it’s all downhill and brutally hot by the time you reach the bottom.

The Last Stretch to the Jordan

Jericho sits in the Jordan Valley, surrounded by date-palm groves and desert hills. The Jordan River is only a few miles farther east—an hour’s walk at most. So, in less than a day, someone could walk from Jerusalem’s cool mountain breeze to the sticky heat of the Jordan River, dropping from one of the highest points in Israel to one of the lowest spots on earth.

It’s a journey that shows just how high Jerusalem stands—and how fast the land falls away beneath it.