Monastery of the Temptation, West Bank

The Monastery of the Temptation (Greek: Μοναστήρι του Πειρασμού, Arabic: دير القرنطل‎‎ Deir al-Quruntal) is an Orthodox Christian monastery located in the West Bank, along a cliff overlooking the city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley. It is built on the slopes of the Mount of Temptation, rising 350 meters above sea level. The earliest monastery was constructed by the Byzantines in the 6th century CE above the cave traditionally said to be that where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights fasting and meditating during the temptation of Satan, about three kilometers northwest of Jericho. The monastery receives its name from the mountain which the early Christians referred to as the "Mount of the Temptation". 

Palestine, including Jericho, was conquered by the Arabs under the Islamic Caliphate ofUmar ibn al-Khattab in the 630s. When the Crusaders invaded the area in 1099, they built two churches on the site: one in a cave half way up the cliff and a second on the summit. The land upon which the modern monastery was built was purchased by the Orthodox Church in 1874. In 1895, the monastery was constructed around a crude cave chapel that marks the stone where Jesus sat during his fast.

     

Picture Source: Collected from Internet