Qumran Caves

The Qumran cemetery is in eastern Qumran in the West Bank, part of Palestinian area which is under Israeli occupation. It is a large area leading to a descent from which four finger-like ridges point eastward. On these ridges more tombs are located. The current estimate of tombs in the cemetery is over 1100. The largest section, that on the plateau proper, has two east-west paths which divide it into three parts. There are also two small cemeteries near Qumran, one ten minutes' walk north of the main cemetery and one to the south, on the other side of Wadi Qumran.

Qumran (Hebrew: קומראן; Arabic: خربة قمران Khirbet Qumran) is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel's Qumran National Park. It is located on a dry marl plateau about 1.5 km (1 mi) from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, about 10 km (6 mi) south of the historic city of Jericho, and adjacent to the modern Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalya. The Hellenistic period settlement was constructed during the reign of Hasmonean leader John Hyrcanus (134–104 BCE) or somewhat later. Qumran was inhabited by a Jewish sect of the late Second Temple period, which most scholars identify with the Essenes; however, other Jewish groups were also suggested. It was occupied most of the time until 68 CE and was destroyed by the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War, possibly as late as 73 CE. It was later used by Jewish rebels during the Bar Kokhba revolt. Today, the Qumran site is best known as the settlement nearest to the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden, caves in the sheer desert cliffs and beneath, in the marl terrace. The principal excavations at Qumran were conducted by Roland de Vaux in the 1950s, and several later digs have been carried out. Since the 1967 Six-Day War, Qumran has been managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Ein Feshkha (Arabic: عين فشخة, also Ain Al-Fashka) or Einot Tzukim (Hebrew: עינות צוקים, lit. 'cliff springs') is a 2,500 ha nature reserve and archaeological site on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea, about 3 km (1.9 mi) south of Qumran in the West Bank. It is located just north of the headland Râs Feshkhah, the "headland of Feshkhah". Within the reserve is a group of springs of brackish water. The nature reserve consists of an open section with pools of mineral water for bathing surrounded by high foliage and a section that is closed to visitors to protect the native flora and fauna.

Khirbet Mazin (Hebrew: חורבת מזין), Hebrew name: Metzad Kidron (Hebrew: מצד קדרון) is an archaeological site on the shore of the Dead Sea. It is situated on the inlet of Wadi Mazin north of Kidron stream by the northwest shore of the Dead Sea.

Ovnat (Hebrew: אָבְנַת) is a small Israeli settlement in the West Bank on the western shore of the Dead Sea, about 7 km (4 mi) south of Kalya and 12 km (7 mi) north of Mitzpe Shalem. It falls under the jurisdiction of Megilot Regional Council. In 2021 it had a population of 260. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, but the Israeli government disputes this.

Hyrcania (Ancient Greek: Ὑρκανία; Arabic: خربة المرد "Khirbet el-Mird"; Hebrew: הורקניה Horcania) was an ancient fortress in the Judean Desert. It was built by Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus or his son Alexander Jannaeus in the 2nd or 1st century BCE (in the Hellenistic part of the Second Temple period). The fortress was rebuilt and greatly expanded by King Herod (r. 37-4 BCE; Roman period). After Herod's death Hyrcania was abandoned, only to be resettled during the Byzantine period, when a late-5th century monastery named Kastellion was established on the ruined fortress, which remained active until the early 9th century. There was a short-lived attempt by monks to rebuild in the 1920s-30s. The ancient ruins can still be seen today. The site is located on an isolated hill about 200 m above the Hyrcania valley, on its western edge. It is about 5 km west of Qumran, and 16 km east of Jerusalem. Until the start of a 2023 archaeological campaign, the site had not yet been thoroughly excavated. Until then, knowledge about the ruins of the site was based on a limited number of test pits.

The King Abdullah Bridge (Arabic: جسر الملك عبد الله) is an inoperative bridge over the Jordan River between the West Bank and Jordan. It is about 5 kilometers south east of Jericho, and about 4 kilometres south of the Allenby Bridge. It has been known to be a landmark development within the region.

The Battle of Hijla (21 March 1918) was fought by the forces of the British and Ottoman Empires during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War. Hijla (now called Makhadet Hijla', lit. 'Partridge Ford'; cf. nearby Deir Hajla) is on the River Jordan a few miles upriver from the Dead Sea. Today the river is the boundary between Jordan and the "West Bank" area presently administered by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, but in 1918 it was territory of the Ottoman Empire. The British invasion had succeeded in taking Jerusalem at the end of 1917. British General Edmund Allenby attempted a "raid" across the Jordan toward Amman in an effort to sever the railroad and resistance was met at Hijla and to the north at Ghoraniyeh, where fords provided means to cross. The river crossing was resisted by the Ottomans at both sites. The 2/19th Battalion (St. Pancras) London Regiment of the 60th Division tried to cross at Hijla, sending swimmers repeatedly across with ropes to attempt the construction of a pontoon bridge. Major Vivian Gilbert reported the events later. Many of the British soldiers were shot in the Jordan before the bridgehead could be established. Once established, the bridgeheads were maintained against the Ottomans, but the raids on Amman basically failed. This was the prelude to the Battle of Megiddo farther north in what is now Israel.

The Mövenpick Dead Sea Spa and Resort is a luxury resort hotel on the shore of the Dead Sea, the lowest location on Earth. It was opened in 1999 by Zara Investment Holding, Jordan's largest operator of five-star hotels. Condé Nast has classified it as the best resort in Jordan and one of the best in the Middle East for several years. The resort is one of the largest in the Middle East. It is known for providing premium therapeutic services using the natural products of the Dead Sea, which are believed to have curative properties. It has 346 rooms and many other amenities, including swimming pools, a fitness centre, a children's club, nine restaurants, and a spa. The hotel, Green Globe certified since 2014, is one of the first in the region to utilize environmentally-friendly solar heating systems.

The King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre, managed by Hilton (KHBTCC) is a convention center located on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea, near Sweimeh. It is named after the late king of Jordan, Hussein Bin Talal (1952–1999). The KHBTCC launched in 2005. The three-story centre hosts over 3,000 guests and has 27 conference halls, lounges, foyers, and several outdoor terraces on 24,000 square metres (260,000 sq ft) of floor space. It is distanced by 65 kilometers from Queen Alia International Airport and 45 kilometers from Amman. The KHBTCC can accommodate approximately 4,000 people. The center hosted a 2007 regional meeting of the World Economic Forum and meetings of the International Monetary Fund.

The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, known in Arabic and Syriac as Mar Saba (Syriac: ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܣܒܐ, Arabic: دير مار سابا; Hebrew: מנזר מר סבא; Greek: Ἱερὰ Λαύρα τοῦ Ὁσίου Σάββα τοῦ Ἡγιασμένου) and historically as the Great Laura of Saint Sabas, is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the Bethlehem Governorate of Palestine, in the West Bank, at a point halfway between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea. The monks of Mar Saba and those of subsidiary houses are known as Sabaites. Mar Saba is considered to be one of the oldest (almost) continuously inhabited monasteries in the world, and it maintains many of its ancient traditions. One in particular is the restriction on women entering the main compound. The only building that women can enter is the Women's Tower, near the main entrance.

The Inn of the Good Samaritan is a national park, museum, ancient archaeological site and former inn administered by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority located near Ma'ale Adumim, halfway between Jerusalem and Jericho, at an elevation of 298 meters above sea level.The Inn is named after the New Testament's Parable of the Good Samaritan, and houses a museum of ancient mosaics and other archaeological findings mostly dating from the 4th-7th centuries that were collected from churches and Jewish and Samaritan synagogues from the West Bank and from the ancient Gaza synagogue. Beginning in biblical times, Jewish pilgrims from the Galilee took the nearby Jerusalem-Jericho road to worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. In later times, Christian pilgrims used the road to reach the baptismal site of Jesus on the Jordan River, near Jericho. The area of the Inn of the Good Samaritan was repeatedly fortified, and traveller-inns were built a little below the hilltop. This is reflected in the presence of two distinct, if related, archaeological sites in close proximity to each other, the other site being the ruins of a castle believed to have been built by King Herod although today they are separated by the modern Jerusalem–Jericho highway. Today, the Inn of the Good Samaritan is a mosaic museum, and serves as a tourist attraction visited especially by international tourists, particularly Christians. The museum features a guided audio tour, and is accessible to persons with disabilities.