Holy Sites in Jordan ~ July 11

Today we visited some of the religious sites in Jordan via the historic 5,000-year-old King’s Highway, the Jordan River Baptism Site (John baptizing Jesus), Mt. Nebo where a series of churches were constructed to mark the place where it is thought God showed Moses “the promised land” and where he is buried, the city of Madaba with its extraordinary 6th century Byzantine Mosaics and Greek Orthodox Church of St. George were an ancient mosaic map of the holy land is preserved, and lastly, the Dead Sea (see photos). Pilgrimages to these sites have a long and often contested history since control and access has changed over time.

The Jordan River Baptism Site is an interesting case. Prior to the 6 Day War (1967) Jordan shaped much of its new national identity around promoting access to the holiest sites in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, and other religious sites. Hundreds of thousands of tourists and pilgrims visited these sites. After the war the baptism site became a closed and mined military zone. The Israelis opened an alternative pilgrimage site at Yardenit on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and welcomed global pilgrims for years.

After the 1994 peace, the Jordon River area was cleared of mines and archaeologists were able to begin work only to discover that the site where early Christian antiquity churches were erected to mark the holy location was actually on the East Bank of the Jordan River under Jordanian control. The extensive area, about a mile walk from the military check-point, is now filled with new churches and the Jordanian government is working to build the site into a global pilgrimage destination. Pope Benedict during his April 2009 visit to Jordan celebrated mass at the recently completed Catholic Church, thus conferring his imprimatur to site legitimacy. At least five more churches with pilgrimage residences are under construction in the 300 acre area, including Coptic, Armenian, Syrian and Ethiopian churches. The Jordanian site is modest, a wooden platform and baptismal font with clean water, and river access. However, the Jordanian River is reported to be much polluted (note the opaque color in photo) with sewage runoff from the Israeli city of Tiberius.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Civil Administration responded by building a more elaborate limestone and marble (see photos) structure directly opposite at Qasr al-Yahud on the West Bank. The site opened this spring. When we visited we saw no one there.

The ancient Byzantine church at Mt. Nebo is closed for restoration but a large section of the fine mosaics are displayed and site history is recounted in the museum. The site is under the care of Franciscans who maintain an active church and monastery. The site has been officially named Mt. Nebo/Siyagha. From the platform by the church we are able to see the Dead Sea, Jericho, and, had it been clear, Jerusalem. Pope John Paul dedicated a monument (photo) here to interfaith during the 2000 Jubilee year.