The archaeological baptism site
A Byzantine stair down to the old channel the river has since left.
Producer (talk) — CC BY 2.5 · Berthold Werner — CC BY 3.0 · High Contrast — CC BY 3.0 de · Bahnfrend — CC BY-SA 4.0
The site held to be where John the Baptist baptised Christ, on the east bank of the Jordan, UNESCO-listed since 2015. It lies in a former military zone that was mined until the 1990s, and so was never built on or developed — which is precisely what gives it its effect. You cannot drive in: you leave your car at the visitor centre and go on with the site bus and a guide, walking wooden boardwalks between the trees. What you see: the remains of Byzantine churches, a stone stair descending to what was the old river channel, the church of St John the Baptist, a cave held to be a hermit's, and the baptismal pools. The river has since shifted from its old course, so the archaeological baptism site no longer stands on water — a point that surprises visitors. The present river is metres away, with a platform down to it. And here is the detail worth knowing: the river here is very narrow — a few metres — and the far bank is the occupied Palestinian side, with visitors and guards on the other side whom you see and hear. The border is directly in front of you. Three popes have visited: John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. The guided visit takes about two hours, and the heat in summer is severe — the site is some three hundred metres below sea level.
A Byzantine stair down to the old channel the river has since left.
The river is a few metres wide and the far bank is the Palestinian side — the border directly before you.
Remains of churches and baptismal pools among boardwalks and trees.
Al-Maghtas, west of Amman
Yes — there is a platform at the present river where visitors go down, and many perform a symbolic immersion or fill bottles. Bring suitable clothing and a towel. The water is shallow, muddy and crowded in pilgrimage season.
The two sit on opposite banks at essentially the same point, and each presents itself as the baptism site. The Jordanian one is the UNESCO-listed site, supported by the Byzantine excavations on the east bank, and matches the Gospel phrase «Bethany beyond the Jordan» — that is, east of it. Both can be visited, but each has its own procedures.
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