LIGHTING manufacturer Thorn is to help illuminate heritage sites in the historic city of Jericho.

The firm, which has a base in Spennymoor, County Durham, has teamed up with The Lighting Urban Community International Association (Lucia), an international network of more than 70 universities, lighting designers and industrial companies, which aims to contribute to the development of disadvantaged communities or regions through better outdoor lighting.

Officials from Lyon, in France, which is assisting with the project, have drawn up preliminary lighting concepts for heritage sites chosen by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism, with technical support from Thorn.

The sites are the giant sycamore tree of Zacchaeus, which is more than 2,000 years old and the ruins of Hisham's Palace.

It is hoped that a third site, the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus is said to have spent 40 days and nights fasting and meditating, will also benefit from the initiative.

The aim is to light the sites after nightfall, adding to their appeal as tourist attractions and generating tangible benefits for the local community.

Backed by expertise from municipality engineers in Lyon, Thorn will supply the lighting equipment along with visualisations and computer plots for the project.

The equipment is to be installed in the spring.

The project will provide Jericho with the resources and expertise it would have been unable to access without the assistance of Lyon and Thorn.

Noha Rashmawi, official representative of the City of Jericho, said: "Lighting key architectural and natural elements of our heritage is by no means a frivolous thing in these difficult times.

"It is essential for the promotion of peace and economic development in our region - a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak."