The Baptism Site

Description

Al-Maghtas, meaning "baptism" or "immersion" in Arabic, is an archaeological World Heritage site in Jordan on the east bank of the Jordan River, officially known as Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" (Al-Maghtas). It is considered to be the original location of the Baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist and has been venerated as such since at least the Byzantine period.

Al-Maghtas includes two principal archaeological areasThe remnants of a monastery on a mound known as Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah's Hill) and an area close to the river with remains of churches, baptism ponds and pilgrim.

The third most holy site for Christians in the World, after the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of the Nativity, is the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ, known in Arabic as Al-Maghtas. Excavations at Wadi Kharrar carried out after the 1994 peace treaty found evidence of a complex of churches, hermit cells and other buildings described in the writings of many pilgrims who have visited the site since the 2nd century AD.

The holiness of this site for Christians inspired the Byzantines to build a monastery in the 5th and 6th centuries AD. This complex contained several churches, barracks for the monks, a caravenserai for pilgrims and an impressive water system. Al-Maghtas was part of the pilgrim trail that included Mt. Nebo and Jerusalem. The geometric shapes and crosses decorating the mosaic illustrate the iconoclasm of the early Christian church, which believed that figures should not be portrayed in art. The Western Church contained a rock-cut apse that extended under one of the pools. The oldest building, believed to be the Prayer Hall, may date from the beginning of the Byzantine era.