Adventures in Asia: Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan, Jordan

From Mt. Nebo, we drove down into the Jordan Valley and toward the Jordan River. At this point the river is the border between Jordan and the West Bank. Just before the river we turned north and arrived at Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan, the site of Jesus's baptism. For a couple of centuries or so, from something like 300 CE onwards, this was an important site for Christians, but after that (roughly from 650 CE) it was neglected or forgotten, and more recently it was a minefield. Beginning in 1994 the site began to be opened up and archaeological work began. Although the mines are all gone, there are still fairly significant security precautions being taken as you visit, and you have to be part of a group as you tour, you cannot roam freely. A guide and shuttle bus take you from the parking lot a few kilometres to where you can begin walking. 

This is the "spot," which is along a brook that fills up when the Jordan is especially high (look it up on Wikipedia or elsewhere and you can see how high the water can get!).

Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis have all visited the spot, and two of their visits are commemorated with mosaics. 

The archaeological work here has uncovered the ruins of the Byzantine church (they are in the larger roofed area you can see in the photos of the "spot" above). Much more recently other churches from other Christian denominations (e.g., Orthodox, Armenian, Catholic) have been built nearby--you can see some of them up on the ridge in the photo below.

Closer to the river is this Greek Orthodox church.

And here you can get down to the Jordan River itself. 

It hardly looks like a river by the standards I am used to--really more like a creek--but it felt pretty special to see it nonetheless. 

The West Bank is just across the river and there were two IDF soldiers standing there (there were Jordanian soldiers on our side of the river, too). Overall it feels like a tense place, but still peaceful, somehow, and three tourists put on special robes the church sells and went on into the river and evidently found it an especially meaningful experience. 

Besides the baptism site, the ancient ruins, and the Jordan River proper, I also found the setting and "wilderness" all around interesting.