Official Visit of H.E. Khouloud Daibes to Tell es-Sultan/ancient Jericho

On the 18^th of March 2010 H.E. Khouloud Daibes, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of the Palestinian National Authority, On. Stefania Craxi, Undersecretary of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, visited the worldwide renowned site of Tell es-Sultan/ancient Jericho, at the core of the homonymous Oasis, at the presence of H.E. Luciano Pezzotti, General Consul of Italy at Jerusalem, Dr Hamdan Taha, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and other Italian and Palestinian authorities.

Prof. Lorenzo Nigro, director of Rome �La Sapienza� Expedition to Tell es-Sultan, guided the visit, showing the amazing results of the Italian-Palestinian Expedition, carried on the site since year 1997.

The site of Tell es-Sultan/ancient Jericho, almost continuously occupied for at least 10,000 years with unique and extraordinary monuments deserving to the site the title of �oldest city in the world�, is mow at the centre of the project for the creation of the Archaeological Park of the Jericho Oasis, aimed at the protection, conservation and enhancement of all the environmental, cultural and historical resources of this territory.The richness in history and significance of this site is an overwhelming heritage for the whole Humankind. For all these reasons, Jericho deserves the concern not only of archaeologists, but also of all authorities involved in its valorisation, as a primary cultural resource of the modern city of Ariha and the whole Palestinian territory.

From left to right: H.E. Khouloud Daibes, On. Stefania Craxi and Prof. Lorenzo Nigro entering the site of Tell es-Sultan/ancient Jericho.		On. Stefania Craxi and Prof. Lorenzo Nigro walking on the site of Tell es-Sultan/ ancient Jericho at the beginning of the official visit.

Prof. Lorenzo Nigro showing to On. Stefania Craxi the remains of burnt protruding wooden beams inserted into the inner side of the EB IIIA (2700-2450 BC) Inner City-Wall made of reddish mud-bricks, probably indicating a balcony running along the structure.		Prof. Lorenzo Nigro showing to H.E. Luciano Pezzotti the recent publications of the Italian-Palestinian  Expedition to Tell es-Sultan/ancient Jericho.

			A moment of the official visit with On. Stefania Craxi and Prof. Lorenzo Nigro at the balcony above Kenyon�s Trench I.
Prof. Lorenzo Nigro showing to On. Stefania Craxi the illustrative panel at Kenyon�s Trench I.			End of the official visit; from left to right: Dr Hamdn Taha, H.E. Khouloud Daibes, Prof. Lorenzo Nigro and Dr Lucia Pattarino.