Bethany Beyond the Jordan

Bethany Beyond the Jordan, on the east bank of the Jordan River near where it meets the Dead Sea, is revered by many Christians as the place where John the Baptist preached and where Jesus was baptised, and it is a World Heritage Site. Long inaccessible, the area was excavated in recent decades to reveal the remains of churches, chapels, baptismal pools and pilgrim lodgings built here from the Byzantine period onward, spread through the tamarisk scrub along the river's ancient course. A visit, made on a shuttle with a guide, follows a path among these ruins to the old baptism site and down to the present, much-shrunken river itself, where the Jordan is now so narrow that the far bank is only metres away, and pilgrims come to the water's edge. It is a place of quiet significance rather than grand monuments, moving for its associations and its long history of faith.

History

A small group of farmers first settled here in the Chalcolithic, around 3500 BC, and there are signs of settlement again from the Hellenistic period; Christian buildings rose at Tell al-Kharrar possibly from the 2nd-3rd centuries and certainly from the 5th-6th, and the hill was venerated as the spot from which the prophet Elijah rose to heaven, where a Byzantine monastery was built in the 5th century. Between 491 and 518 the emperor Anastasius I built a first church to John the Baptist on the east bank, rebuilt three times after floods and earthquakes until a great flood of the 6th or 7th century brought it down. After the Muslim conquest some Byzantine buildings stayed in use, but after 670 the commemoration of the baptism moved to the west bank, and the structures here, rebuilt many times, were finally deserted by the end of the 15th century. After the 1967 war the river became a ceasefire line and both banks were inaccessible to pilgrims; following the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan in 1994 the area was cleared of mines at the initiative of Prince Ghazi, excavations and papal visits followed, and in 2015 the site became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Al-Maghtas).

What's there

• The baptism site - the excavated pools and churches at the traditional place of baptism.
• The Byzantine church remains - the ruins of chapels and pilgrim buildings in the scrub.
• The river's edge - the walk down to the narrow Jordan itself.
• The pilgrim history - the long record of worship revealed by the excavations.

When to go

October to April is the comfortable season; the Jordan valley here is one of the hottest places in the country in summer, and being below sea level it is warm even in winter. Mornings are cooler for walking the site. Religious feast days bring pilgrims and a different atmosphere.

Practical notes

The ruins are modest, so this is a place valued for its religious meaning and history rather than for spectacular architecture, and visitors without that interest may find it low-key. Access is only via a site shuttle and guide, not free wandering, and the valley heat is intense outside winter. The river itself is now a narrow, muddy channel, a surprise to those expecting a mighty waterway. Dress and behave respectfully at what is an active place of pilgrimage.

Nearby

The Dead Sea resorts are close along the valley; Mount Nebo and Madaba are up on the plateau.

Key facts