ʿEin as-Sulṭān alsoʿAin Sulṭān Camp is a village and Palestinian refugee camp in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank situated in the Jordan Valley, located 1 kilometer north-west of Jericho near the spring ʿEin as-Sulṭān. ʿEin as-Sulṭān had a population of over 1,469 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. In 1997, refugees constituted 81% of the population.
History
The first permanent settlement built near ancient Jericho was at Tell es-Sultan by the Ein es-Sultan spring, between 8000 and 7000 BC, by an unknown people, and consisted of a number of walls, a religious shrine, and a 23-foot tower with an internal staircase. After a few centuries, it was abandoned for a second settlement established in 6800 BC close by. To the Christians the spring is known as Elisha's Spring and the Byzantines built there a domed church dedicated to Saint Eliseus. The Crusaders improved the water mills at Ein es-Sultan to crush sugar cane in tawahin es-sukkar and exported the sugar to Jerusalem. The Crusaders are credited with introducing sugarcane production to the city. ʿEin as-Sulṭān camp was established in 1948, on 870 dunums of arid land below the Mount of Temptation. Just before the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict, the camp had accommodated some 20,000 refugees. During the hostilities the majority of the refugees fled across the Jordan River to Jordan. On 13 November 1985, following an agreement with UNRWA, the Israeli authorities began a program of demolishing unused houses. At the time the camp’s population was 600. In 1987 the authorities tried to expel as many of the refugees as they could. The US reports state that the refugees were suffering from "deteriorating economic circumstances". Today, ʿEin Sulṭān has a small population of only 1,732 registered refugees. Some non-refugees have moved onto the camp's lands and built illegal homes as there is over-crowding and Israel authorities controls the issuing of building permits.
Water
Water scarcity is a major problem in this arid area, especially during the summer. The springs Ein as-Sultan, Ayn al-Nuway'mia and Ayn al Duyuk were utilised during the Roman occupation for irrigation to cultivate the land. After 1975 the water from the spring Ein as-Sultan was collected in four small basins. UNRWA supplies Ein Sultan with water by pumping it from a nearby spring. The out fall of the spring is close to Tell el-Sultan, the site of ancient Jericho. During the summer months, water shortages in the camp cause tremendous hardship for the refugees. However, the Israeli water companyMekorot has become the main supplier of water to the camp after Israel took control of water sources. Following the signing of the 1994 Gaza–Jericho Agreement and Israeli army redeployment, the camp came under the control of the Palestinian National Authority. In 2002, two stories were added to Ein Sultan School, including a new library, a multi-purpose room, an additional three classrooms and a computer lab.
