Mevo'ot Yericho
Encyclopedia
Mevo'ot Yericho (lit. "Doorway to Jericho"), founded in 1999, is an Israeli settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...

 and a communal settlement
Communal settlement (Israel)
A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....

 located in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...

's southern Jordan Valley
Jordan Valley (Middle East)
The Jordan Valley forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. It is 120 kilometers long and 15 kilometers wide, where it runs from Lake Tiberias in the north to northern Dead Sea in the south. It runs for an additional 155 kilometer south of the Dead Sea to Aqaba, an area also known as Wadi...

 just north of Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...

, in the Yitav Valley. The site is 150m below sea level. It falls under the municipal jurisdiction of the Bik'at HaYarden Regional Council. Originally founded as a station for agricultural experiments known as Havat HaIklum, Mevo'ot Yericho became a farm community in 2000. It is home to 24 families, who grow lemons, dates, figs, grapes, sweet potatoes, passion fruit and other crops.

In the mid 2000s, a project for disadvantaged girls was established at Mevo'ot Yericho. The girls live and work in the community and travel to Jerusalem for studies in the evening.

The construction of what may be the world's first solar-powered mikveh was completed in 2007.

Numerous archaeological findings in the area attest to the presence of ancient Jewish settlement. Within the settlement remains of an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....

 are clearly visible. The aqueduct and nearby Na'aran
Naaran
Naaran or Na'aran was a Jewish settlement and synagogue during the 5th and 6th century AD and was located north of Jericho, in Ephraim, between Bethel and Jericho. The synagogue floor has a mosaic floor with several designs. In the middle of the floor there is a large wheel of the zodiac. The...

 synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...

are dated to the 6th century.

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