Teleilat el Ghassul

Teleilat el Ghassul is an archaeological site in the Jordan Valley featuring eight successive settlement layers with remains of ancient villages. The houses are built from mud bricks on stone foundations and show different phases of human occupation.

The site documents human settlement between about 4400 and 3500 BC during a period of early urban development. Excavations between 1929 and 1938 by a research institute revealed the different settlement phases.

Residents created detailed painted wall designs in their houses that show advanced artistic skills and religious beliefs. These artworks offer insight into the daily lives and spiritual practices of these early communities.

The site sits about 5 kilometers northeast of the Dead Sea in an accessible area of the Jordan Valley. Visitors should prepare for summer heat and uneven ground with excavation pits.

The pottery and settlement patterns here are so characteristic that they define an entire prehistoric culture. This place is the key to understanding an early civilization phase that scholars named after this location.

GPS coordinates: 31.80000,35.60000

Latest update: December 13, 2025 11:46