The sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed so as to see Christ on his walk to Jerusalem has been housed since 2010 on the grounds of the Russian Museum in Jericho. A salvage excavation was carried out on the lands of the building from June to September 2010 by a Palestinian-Russian expedition, the fruits of which are on display in the museum itself.
Just north of the Russian compound, remains of a mosaic floor appeared during bulldozing work. Excavation teams revealed a series of buildings and mosaic pavements that date to the early Roman, Byzantine-Umayyad, Medieval and Ottoman periods.
These remains and the ruins of Byzantine churches in the area are a testament to the major role Jericho played in the early stages of Christianity.
