Arīḥā, wanda aka fi sani da Jericho, yana cikin Yammacin Kogin Jordan kuma an yi imanin cewa yana ɗaya daga cikin tsoffin ƙauyuka a duniya, tun daga kusan 9000 BC. Binciken archaeological ya ba da cikakken cikakken tarihinsa.
Birnin yana da mahimmancin kimar archaeological, saboda yana ba da shaida na farkon kafa matsuguni na dindindin da kuma canzawa zuwa wayewa. An gano ragowar mafarauta na Mesolithic daga kusan 9000 BC da na zuriyarsu da ke zaune a can na dogon lokaci. Kusan 8000 BC, mazaunan sun gina katangar dutse a kusa da mazaunin, wanda aka ƙarfafa ta da babban hasumiya na dutse.
Wannan mazaunin ya kasance gida ga kusan mutane 2,000-3,000, wanda ke goyan bayan amfani da kalmar "garin". Wannan lokacin ya shaida canji daga salon rayuwa na farauta zuwa cikakken zama. Bugu da ƙari, an gano nau'o'in alkama da sha'ir da aka noma, wanda ke nufin haɓaka aikin noma. Akwai yuwuwar an ƙirƙiro ban ruwa don ƙarin sarari don noma. Al'adun Neolithic na farko na Falasdinu wani ci gaba ne na kai-tsaye.
Kusan 7000 BC, mazauna Jericho sun sami nasara da rukuni na biyu, suna kawo al'adun da ba su haɓaka tukwane ba amma har yanzu na zamanin Neolithic. Wannan mataki na Neolithic na biyu ya ƙare a kusan 6000 BC kuma shekaru 1000 masu zuwa, da wuya babu wata shaida ta zama.
Wani lokaci a kusa da 5000 BC, tasirin daga arewa, inda aka kafa ƙauyuka da yawa da kuma amfani da tukwane, ya fara nunawa a Jericho. Mazaunan Jericho na farko da suka yi amfani da tukwane na dā ne idan aka kwatanta da waɗanda suke a gabansu, suna zama a cikin bukkoki da suka ruɗe kuma wataƙila makiyaya ne. A cikin shekaru 2000 masu zuwa, aikin ba shi da yawa kuma yana iya zama na ɗan lokaci.
A farkon karni na 4 BC, Jericho, da sauran Falasdinu, sun ga sake farfadowa a al'adun birane. An sake gina ganuwarta akai-akai. Duk da haka, a kusan shekara ta 2300 BC, an sami katsewa a rayuwar birane saboda zuwan Amoriyawa makiyaya. Kusan 1900 BC, Kan'aniyawa sun maye gurbinsu. Shaidar gidajensu da kayan daki da aka samu a cikin kaburbura sun ba da haske game da al'adunsu. Wannan ita ce al’adar da Isra’ilawa suka fuskanta sa’ad da suka kai wa Kan’ana hari kuma daga baya suka soma.
Isra’ilawa, karkashin jagorancin Joshua, sun shahara sun kai hari Jericho bayan sun haye Kogin Urdun (Joshua 6). Bayan halakar ta, bisa ga lissafin Littafi Mai Tsarki, an yi watsi da ita har sai Hiel Ba’itilat ya zauna a wurin a ƙarni na 9 BC (1 Sarakuna 16:34). Ƙari ga haka, an ambaci Jericho a wasu sassa na Littafi Mai Tsarki. Hirudus Mai Girma ya yi lokacin sanyi a Jericho kuma ya mutu a can a cikin 4 BC.
Binciken da aka yi a 1950-51 ya nuna babban facade tare da Wadi Al-Qilṭ, mai yiwuwa wani ɓangare na fadar Hirudus, wanda ke nuna girmamawa ga Roma. An kuma sami sauran ragowar gine-gine masu ban sha'awa a wannan yankin, wanda daga baya ya zama tsakiyar Jericho na Romawa da Sabon Alkawari, kusan mil ɗaya (kilomita 1.6) kudu da tsohon birnin. Rundunar ‘Yan Salibiyya Jericho tana da nisan mil gabas daga wurin Tsohon Alkawari, inda aka kafa garin na zamani.
Wannan labarin ya kasance asali rubuta Kathleen Mary Kenyon, wacce ita ce Shugabar Kwalejin St. Hugh's, Jami'ar Oxford daga 1962 zuwa 1973, da kuma Darakta na Makarantar Archaeology ta Burtaniya a Urushalima daga 1951 zuwa 1966. Shi ne marubucin ayyuka da yawa, irin su Archaeology. a Ƙasar Mai Tsarki da Digging Up Jericho.
