Baptism Site in Jordan | Bethany | Jordan River
Baptism Site in Jordan
The site was located on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and is systematically studied, excavated, restored, and prepared to welcome pilgrims and visitors. Bethany beyond Jordan is half an hour's drive from the Jordanian capital Amman. The sites of the Bethany area were part of the path of the ancient Christian pilgrimage between Jerusalem, the Jordan River, and Mount Nebo.
In the area there are several biblical cities such as Sodom, Gomorrah, and Zoar; Archaeological discoveries between the Jordan River and Tal al-Kharar have identified this area as "Bethany beyond the Jordan". The area is the one where John lived when he baptized Jesus.
Bethany Beyond Jordan
It has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Baptism Site commission welcomes pilgrims from around the world in search of a spiritual connection with biblical times, a glimpse of history, or the possibility of being baptized in the same place where Jesus was many years ago.
If one area is not enough for biblical history, the cave where Lot and his daughters took refuge after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is located just outside an area called Safi (the biblical Zoar).
At the end of the 5th century, a church was built next to the old Jordan river. But the recurring floods of the river meant that it had to be rebuilt several times - at least three other churches have been discovered, dating back to the 6th and 7th centuries.
A well-traveled bridge between sea and desert, east and west, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a land of mesmerizing beauty and contrasts, from the Jordan Valley, fertile, and ever-changing, to the remote desert canyons, immense and still. Visitors can explore splendid desert castles, gaze in awe at the haunting wilderness of Wadi Rum, or bathe in the restful waters of the Red Sea.
