Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage

Mohammad Waheeb

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11

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Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage

Mohammad Waheeb

Published in International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 7, Issue 1)

Received: 28 January 2019 Accepted: 20 March 2019 Published: 15 May 2019

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Abstract

The Baptism Site “Bethany beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) is located in the Jordan RiftValley, north of the Dead Sea between two major sites Jerusalem to the west, and Mount Nebo to the east. The site was discovered during 1996,excavations revealed the presenceof threedistinct archaeological areas on the eastern bank of Jordan River, first,Tell al-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar Elias (Elijahs Hill) second, the area of the Monastery with its Large Pool, and third,Churches of St. John the Baptist. “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is of immense religious significance to the majority of denominations of Christian faith all over the world, who have accepted this site with its architectural remains and arts as the location where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist. This reference encouraged generations of monks, hermits, pilgrims, priests and believers to reside in and visit the site, and to leave behind testimonies of their devotion and religious activities, dating to between the 1st and the 18th century AD.At present, the site has regained a popular status as pilgrimage destination for Christians, who continue to engage in baptism rituals on site. The site has gained the recognition of various churches around the world as World List Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015 and considered as the actual site where early believers formed the early community of Christianity. The recovered architectural remains such as churches,mosaic floors,caves, andwater system,represent a majorcomplex built during Byzantine Period to commemorate sacred events for early believes.Since the excavations completed during 2002,the site has been extensively developed by the joint ofJordan Ministry of Tourism and Department ofAntiquities, but sensitively so - visitor numbers are controlled and the Visitors' Centre has been located at some distance from the site in an effort to preserve its sanctity. Other facilities include a restaurant, parking, and new churches werebuilt in the Baptism Sitefor praying.

Published in	International Journal of Archaeology (Volume 7, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11
Page(s)	1-7
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Archaeology, Baptism, Religion, Cultural Heritage, Roman & Byzantine Age

References

[1]	Waheeb, M. (1997). Report on the Excavations at Wadi al-Kafrein Southern Ghor (Al Aghwar). ADAJ, 41, 463-468.
[2]	Abel R. (1932). Exploration du sud-est de la Vallee du Jordain, RB, 43 (Suie et fin), 237-263.
[3]	Hershfield,Y. (1992) The judean Desert Monasteries in the Byzantinc Period. New Haven/London.
[4]	Waheeb, M. (1997). Report on the Excavations at Wadi al-Kafrein Southern Ghor (Al Aghwar). ADAJ, 41, 463-468.
[5]	Ibrahim, M. James, A.S. Khair, Y. (1996), The East Jordan Valley Survey, 1975, Bulletin of the American SchoolofOriental Research 222, 4 1-66 & Salibi, Kamal. (1985),The Bible Came from Arabia, London, Jonathan Cape.
[6]	Waheeb, M. (2011). The Hermit Caves in Bethany Beyond the Jordan,ANES,48,177.
[7]	Kopp, C. (1963). The Holy Places Of the Gospels, Germany.
[8]	Eusibus,W, (1904). DasOnomasticon der biblischenortsnamen,leipzg.
[9]	Hoade, E. (1954). "Western Pilgrims, Publications of the Stadium Biblcum Franciscanum, Jerusalem.
[10]	Allita, E., & Piccirillo, M. (1999). Madaba Map Centenary 1897-1997. Jerusalem
[11]	Waheeb, M. (2012). The Discovery of Elijah’s Hill and John’s Site of the Baptism, East of the Jordan River from the Description of Pilgrims and Travelers, Asian Social Science Vol. 8, No. 8.
[12]	Wilkinson, J. (1977). Jerusalem Pilgrims Before the Crusaders. Aris and Philips Publishers, England. www.ccsenet.org/ass Asian Social Science Vol. 8, No. 8; July 2012 212 ISSN 1911-2017 E-ISSN 1911-2025.
[13]	Bernard P 1893,Theodosius on the Topography of the Holy Land 530 AD, Translated by J. H. Bernard, pp. PPTS, 1-19, Hanover,Square, London.
[14]	Antoninus Martyr, 1896, Holy Places Visited by Antoninus Martyr, 560-570 A.D. PPTS, Translated by Aubrey Stewart, pp. 1-37, 24, Hanover Square, London.
[15]	Waheeb, M. Abdelaziz Mahmod, Eyad Al-Masri (2013). A Unique Byzantine ComplexNear The Jordan InSouthern Levant And A Tentative Interpretation, Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 13, No 2, pp. 127-134.
[16]	Arculfs, A. (1895), The Pilgrimage of Arculfus in the Holy Land 670 AD, in PPTS, vol. 3, Translated and Annotated by James Macpherson, pp. 1- 64, 24, Hanover Square, London, AMS Press, New York.
[17]	Naif Haddad; Mohammad Waheeb; Leen Fakhoury (2009). Tourism and Hospitality Planning & Development, The BaptismArchaeological Site of Bethany Beyond Jordan: Towards anAssessment for a Management Plan, 6: 3, 173-190.
[18]	Disi, A., Katbeh, A., Damhoreya, S., Wardam, B., Amr, Z.S., Khoury, F., Khader, I. and Budieri, A. (2001) Jesus Christ Baptism Site Management Plan (Amman: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan).
[19]	Doan, P.L. (2006) Tourism planning and regional instability: the consequences of rapid expansion of the tourism sector in Jordan, International Development Planning Review, 28(3), pp. 311–332.

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Mohammad Waheeb. (2019). Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage. International Journal of Archaeology, 7(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11

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Mohammad Waheeb. Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage. Int. J. Archaeol. 2019, 7(1), 1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11

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Mohammad Waheeb. Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage. Int J Archaeol. 2019;7(1):1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11,
  author = {Mohammad Waheeb},
  title = {Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {7},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-7},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.20190701.11},
  abstract = {The Baptism Site “Bethany beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) is located in the Jordan RiftValley, north of the Dead Sea between two major sites Jerusalem to the west, and Mount Nebo to the east. The site was discovered during 1996,excavations revealed the presenceof threedistinct archaeological areas on the eastern bank of Jordan River, first,Tell al-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar Elias (Elijahs Hill) second, the area of the Monastery with its Large Pool, and third,Churches of St. John the Baptist. “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is of immense religious significance to the majority of denominations of Christian faith all over the world, who have accepted this site with its architectural remains and arts as the location where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist. This reference encouraged generations of monks, hermits, pilgrims, priests and believers to reside in and visit the site, and to leave behind testimonies of their devotion and religious activities, dating to between the 1st and the 18th century AD.At present, the site has regained a popular status as pilgrimage destination for Christians, who continue to engage in baptism rituals on site. The site has gained the recognition of various churches around the world as World List Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015 and considered as the actual site where early believers formed the early community of Christianity. The recovered architectural remains such as churches,mosaic floors,caves, andwater system,represent a majorcomplex built during Byzantine Period to commemorate sacred events for early believes.Since the excavations completed during 2002,the site has been extensively developed by the joint ofJordan Ministry of Tourism and Department ofAntiquities, but sensitively so - visitor numbers are controlled and the Visitors' Centre has been located at some distance from the site in an effort to preserve its sanctity. Other facilities include a restaurant, parking, and new churches werebuilt in the Baptism Sitefor praying.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage
AU  - Mohammad Waheeb
Y1  - 2019/05/15
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 1
EP  - 7
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11
AB  - The Baptism Site “Bethany beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) is located in the Jordan RiftValley, north of the Dead Sea between two major sites Jerusalem to the west, and Mount Nebo to the east. The site was discovered during 1996,excavations revealed the presenceof threedistinct archaeological areas on the eastern bank of Jordan River, first,Tell al-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar Elias (Elijahs Hill) second, the area of the Monastery with its Large Pool, and third,Churches of St. John the Baptist. “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is of immense religious significance to the majority of denominations of Christian faith all over the world, who have accepted this site with its architectural remains and arts as the location where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist. This reference encouraged generations of monks, hermits, pilgrims, priests and believers to reside in and visit the site, and to leave behind testimonies of their devotion and religious activities, dating to between the 1st and the 18th century AD.At present, the site has regained a popular status as pilgrimage destination for Christians, who continue to engage in baptism rituals on site. The site has gained the recognition of various churches around the world as World List Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015 and considered as the actual site where early believers formed the early community of Christianity. The recovered architectural remains such as churches,mosaic floors,caves, andwater system,represent a majorcomplex built during Byzantine Period to commemorate sacred events for early believes.Since the excavations completed during 2002,the site has been extensively developed by the joint ofJordan Ministry of Tourism and Department ofAntiquities, but sensitively so - visitor numbers are controlled and the Visitors' Centre has been located at some distance from the site in an effort to preserve its sanctity. Other facilities include a restaurant, parking, and new churches werebuilt in the Baptism Sitefor praying.
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Mohammad Waheeb

Queen Rania College of Heritage & Tourism, Hashemite University, Amman, Jordan

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Mohammad Waheeb. (2019). Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage. International Journal of Archaeology, 7(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11

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ACS Style

Mohammad Waheeb. Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage. Int. J. Archaeol. 2019, 7(1), 1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11

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AMA Style

Mohammad Waheeb. Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage. Int J Archaeol. 2019;7(1):1-7. doi: 10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11,
  author = {Mohammad Waheeb},
  title = {Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage},
  journal = {International Journal of Archaeology},
  volume = {7},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-7},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ija.20190701.11},
  abstract = {The Baptism Site “Bethany beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) is located in the Jordan RiftValley, north of the Dead Sea between two major sites Jerusalem to the west, and Mount Nebo to the east. The site was discovered during 1996,excavations revealed the presenceof threedistinct archaeological areas on the eastern bank of Jordan River, first,Tell al-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar Elias (Elijahs Hill) second, the area of the Monastery with its Large Pool, and third,Churches of St. John the Baptist. “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is of immense religious significance to the majority of denominations of Christian faith all over the world, who have accepted this site with its architectural remains and arts as the location where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist. This reference encouraged generations of monks, hermits, pilgrims, priests and believers to reside in and visit the site, and to leave behind testimonies of their devotion and religious activities, dating to between the 1st and the 18th century AD.At present, the site has regained a popular status as pilgrimage destination for Christians, who continue to engage in baptism rituals on site. The site has gained the recognition of various churches around the world as World List Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015 and considered as the actual site where early believers formed the early community of Christianity. The recovered architectural remains such as churches,mosaic floors,caves, andwater system,represent a majorcomplex built during Byzantine Period to commemorate sacred events for early believes.Since the excavations completed during 2002,the site has been extensively developed by the joint ofJordan Ministry of Tourism and Department ofAntiquities, but sensitively so - visitor numbers are controlled and the Visitors' Centre has been located at some distance from the site in an effort to preserve its sanctity. Other facilities include a restaurant, parking, and new churches werebuilt in the Baptism Sitefor praying.},
 year = {2019}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Site of Jesus Baptism: From Discovery to World List Heritage
AU  - Mohammad Waheeb
Y1  - 2019/05/15
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11
T2  - International Journal of Archaeology
JF  - International Journal of Archaeology
JO  - International Journal of Archaeology
SP  - 1
EP  - 7
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7595
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ija.20190701.11
AB  - The Baptism Site “Bethany beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) is located in the Jordan RiftValley, north of the Dead Sea between two major sites Jerusalem to the west, and Mount Nebo to the east. The site was discovered during 1996,excavations revealed the presenceof threedistinct archaeological areas on the eastern bank of Jordan River, first,Tell al-Kharrar, also known as Jabal Mar Elias (Elijahs Hill) second, the area of the Monastery with its Large Pool, and third,Churches of St. John the Baptist. “Bethany beyond the Jordan” is of immense religious significance to the majority of denominations of Christian faith all over the world, who have accepted this site with its architectural remains and arts as the location where Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist. This reference encouraged generations of monks, hermits, pilgrims, priests and believers to reside in and visit the site, and to leave behind testimonies of their devotion and religious activities, dating to between the 1st and the 18th century AD.At present, the site has regained a popular status as pilgrimage destination for Christians, who continue to engage in baptism rituals on site. The site has gained the recognition of various churches around the world as World List Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015 and considered as the actual site where early believers formed the early community of Christianity. The recovered architectural remains such as churches,mosaic floors,caves, andwater system,represent a majorcomplex built during Byzantine Period to commemorate sacred events for early believes.Since the excavations completed during 2002,the site has been extensively developed by the joint ofJordan Ministry of Tourism and Department ofAntiquities, but sensitively so - visitor numbers are controlled and the Visitors' Centre has been located at some distance from the site in an effort to preserve its sanctity. Other facilities include a restaurant, parking, and new churches werebuilt in the Baptism Sitefor praying.
VL  - 7
IS  - 1
ER  -

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