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Jordan Tourism Guide |
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The Baptism Site |
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The Jordan Valley also has profound meaning for
religious travellers. The area opposite Jericho
has been identified for nearly two millennia as
the area where Jesus Christ was baptized by John
the Baptist. Stunning archaeological discoveries
between the Jordan River and Tell al-Kharrar
since 1996 have identified this area as biblical
'Bethany beyond the Jordan', where John was
living when he baptized Jesus. Tell al-Kharrar's
other name, Tell Mar Elias ('St. Elijah's
Hill'), is reminiscent of the Prophet Elijah,
who ascended from here to heaven. The hillock is
now the focal point of the Baptism Site and is
covered with the remains of a Byzantine
monastery with churches, large baptism pools and
a water storage system. Findings from the early
1st century AD confirm the site was inhabited
during the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist.
A 3rd century building with a white mosaic
pavement has been called an early Christian
'prayer hall'; if this identification is
correct, this may be one of the earliest
Christian prayer facilities identified anywhere
in the world. Also identified on Elijah's Hill
is the cave where, according to numerous
Byzantine pilgrims' texts, John the Baptist
lived and baptized. The Byzantine church built
around the cave, and a built water channel
emerging from the cave, have been excavated in
the last few years and can be now visited.
Closer to the Jordan River are four other
Byzantine churches and large pools with an
extensive water system. These facilities were
mentioned in texts by Byzantine writers, who
linked them with the tradition of Jesus'
baptism.
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