It is considered the oldest surviving city on Earth, continuously inhabited for more than 10 thousand years. More specifically, they call the number 10500 years, similar to the Internet meme 100500, i.e. the maximum possible number. It is also the biblical "city of palm trees", an oasis located at an altitude of 275 meters below sea level. Currently, it plays the role of a holiday village for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, because. houses here are much cheaper, and the climate is milder in winter than in the capital of Israel. A funicular goes to the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 days. There are a large number of archaeological excavations in the vicinity of the city, where you can see all the layers of its long history, including the oldest watchtower. Here, on the territory of the Russian Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, a fig tree grows, which, according to legend, is the tree of Zacchaeus mentioned in the Gospel.
