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The Monastery of Temptation (Deir Quruntol)
A Holy Site in
Hewed in the mountain, the monastery of temptation consists of a horizontal line of rooms which have been built on the edge of the mountain, with a narrow corridor between the walls of the rooms and the stone cliff. The monastery contains a small church leading to the place of Jesus' temptation. Behind a glass panel is a rock on which Jesus is said to have sat. Further is a balcony providing a spectacular view of the rocky hills, the caves, the deep fall below, and the oasis-like scenery of the city of Jericho. At one point, hundreds of monks lived in this monastery.
Currently, there are only three. The legendary association of the mountain and of the monastery with the first and third temptations of Christ began only in the 12th century when two churches were built, one in a cave, and the other above the present-day monastery on the summit of the mount. Both edifices were ruined around the 14th century. The present monastery was rebuilt in 1874 - 1904 and contains the medieval cave- church in which, according to the legend, Christ fasted and refused to turn stones into bread. On the summit of the mountain a new church was built in 1874 but only the surrounding wall was completed. The cave of St. Elijah (40 meters below the monastery) was rebuilt between 1949 - 1965. The monastery and the mountain used to be accessible by a narrow winding path. Currently, a new investment project provides cable-car transportation to a station 100 meters away from the monastery, allowing many more tourists who couldn't make it through the walk uphill to visit the monastery.
The cable car is part of a new complex, Telephrique Ein Sultan tourist center with the lower station at Elisha's spring, opposite Tel Jericho (the old Jericho). The cable car ride offers a magnificent view of Jericho and the surrounding desert and the mountains of Jordan on the other side of the River. The cable car was built by an Austrian-Swiss company which also trained the Palestinian staff who run it. It extends 1,333 meters with 12 cars each with a capacity of 8 passengers. The cable cars are wheel-chair accessible.
The monastery is open from Monday - Friday from 09:00 - 13:00 and from 15:00 - 16:00 and from 08:00 - 14:00 on Saturdays.
The cable car is open daily from 08:30 - 18:30.
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