The Wadi Qelt is a wadi in the West Bank that begins near Jerusalem and ends near Jericho, next to the Dead Sea, where it joins the Jordan River.
The Wadi Qelt contains a unique variety of flora and fauna. The monastery of St. George and the synagogue of Wadi Qelt are located in the wadi, which is usually identified with the Biblical Perath mentioned in Jeremiah 13:5.
After Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, parts of the wadi were declared the Nahal Prat Nature Reserve.
Access : Coordinates: 31.844316, 35.414257 / Wadi Qelt is a wadi running west to east through the Judean Desert in the West Bank.
Highlights :
- The Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. George is located in Wadi Qelt. In its surroundings there are numerous Byzantine hermit cells.it is still inhabited today by Orthodox monks and can be visited via a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Wadi Qelt.
- At the entrance to Wadi Qelt near Jericho are the ruins of the royal winter palace of the Hasmoneans and Herod.
- In the Wadi Qelt there are numerous aqueducts built to transfer water from three nearby springs (Farah, Fawwal and Qilt) to various nearby locations
- Wadi Qelt Synagogue : In 1998, the remains of the oldest synagogue in the world were found in Wadi Qelt, dating from approximately 50-70 BC. C. and was part of a Hasmonean palace complex.
- Most of the stream is located within an area declared as a nature reserve – the Nahal Prat Nature Reserve. Inspectors from the Nature and Parks Authority regularly stay in two places in the reserve – Ein Mabua and Ein Prat.
- Christian tradition : Wadi Qelt is the place in the desert where Joachim, the father of the Virgin Mary, has prayed to be blessed with a child and received the promise from God’s angel, as narrated in the apocryphal Proto-Gospel of James. A Cave of St Anne, inhabited by hermits until a few decades ago.
- Hebrew Bible : Joshua 15:7, 18:17 mentions Adummim in connection to an ascent leading up from Jericho towards Jerusalem.
- Hiking in wadi : Wadi Qelt is a popular route for Palestinian and Israeli hikers,also the wadi is used by many Bedouin shepherds./ Rock climbing in Wadi Qelt is a popular activity.
