Ein as-Sultan
| ʿEin/ʿAin as-Sulṭān | |
|---|---|
| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | مخيّم عين سلطان |
| • Also spelled | Ayn al-Sulṭān (official) |
 ʿEin/ʿAin as-Sulṭān
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| Coordinates: 31°52′40.24″N 35°26′46.24″E / 31.8778444°N 35.4461778°ECoordinates: 31°52′40.24″N 35°26′46.24″E / 31.8778444°N 35.4461778°E | |
| Governorate | Jericho |
| Founded | 1948 |
| Population (2005) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 1,732 |
| (plus some non-refugees) | |
| Name meaning | Sultan's Spring |
ʿEin as-Sulṭān alsoʿAin Sulṭān Camp (Arabic: مخيّم عين سلطان) is a village and Palestinian refugee camp in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank situated in the Jordan Valley, located 1 kilometers 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.
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 (7.0 m) 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 (sugar mills) 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.
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".
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