In the Old Testament, Jericho was conquered after the Israelites marched around it for seven days.
The account appears in Joshua 6, after the Israelites cross the Jordan under Joshua’s leadership. The Israelites circle the city while priests carry ram’s-horn trumpets, and the people are instructed to shout after the prescribed marches. The city’s wall then falls in the narrative.
Jericho is portrayed as the first major Canaanite city captured in Joshua’s campaign. The instructions distinguish the first six days from the seventh day, when the city is circled multiple times before the final shout.
A frequent mix-up is assigning this story to Jerusalem, which becomes especially important later in the Old Testament. Jericho is a separate city near the Jordan Valley. The biblical account also mentions Rahab, who shelters the Israelite spies and is spared with her household.