|| Baptism site || Bethany ||
 |
||
| .:: Mountain Nebo |
Jordan is a unique and blessed land of the Old and New Testaments and the early years of Islam. The litany of ancient placenames reads like a biblical gazetteer-Edom, Moab, Ammon, Gilead, Gad and Peraea.
The Medeba of the Bible is today the small town of Madaba, only 30 kilometers south of Amman. Remains of the Roman road and civic architecture can still be seen in the midst of the modern town, but it is the Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics for which Madaba is best known. At the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George visitors may view the earliest surviving original map of the Holy Land, which was made around A.D. 560. In addition, there are other mosaic floors preserved throughout the town, as well as a fine local museum.
Less than 40 kilometers south of Madaba lies Mukawir, ancient Machaerus. This was the fortress built by Herod the Great, which after his death passed to Herod Antipas. Here is where Herod imprisoned John the Baptist, and where the beautiful Salome danced for Herod, who presented her with the head of John the Baptist to honor her wishes.
The remains of the fortress' thick walls, which were largely destroyed by the Romans, dominate Mukawir which has a splendid view across the Dead Sea to the hills around Jerusalem.
Ten kilometers west of Madaba is the hilly district of Mount Nebo, on the western edge of the plateau with a spectacular view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. On a clear day, the spires of the churches of Jerusalem are visible, and at night the lights of the city.
Mount Nebo is believed to be the tomb of Moses. It is a lonely, windswept hill. Protecting the ruins of a 4th and 6th Century church whose floor is still covered with marvelous mosaics, is a building constructed by the Franciscans who started excavating the site in 1933.
El Maghtas (the Holy Baptism Site) was recently identified by as the site where John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ. It is almost visible from Mount Nebo and can be found in between Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea. One can participate in ritualistic baptisms offered on the site.
Umm er Rasas is a walled settlement about 30 kilometers southeast of Madaba. Its main feature is a Byzantine tower 15 meters high used by early Christian monks seeking solitude. Archaeologists have also unearthed the Church of St. Stephen whose remarkable mosaic floor of the Umayyad epoch is decorated with Jordanian, Palestinian and Egyptian city plans.
 |
||
| .:: Bethany |
This settlement of Bethany has recently been identified on the south bank of the small perennial stream named Wadi Kharrar, just east of the Jordan River and opposite Jericho. It is being excavated, protected, and made accessible to visitors. The small natural hill forming the core of Bethany is called Elijah's Hill, or Tell Mar Elias in Arabic. Local tradition for thousands of years has identified it as the place from where Elijah ascended to heaven. Bethany's ancient remains include structures from the 1st Century AD settlement of John the Baptist, including large plastered pools with steps for full immersion. The 5th-6th Century AD remains at Bethany are those of the Byzantine period settlement, also called Ainon or Saphsaphas and depicted on the 6th Century Madaba mosaic map of the holy land.
When Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness after his baptism (Mark 1:12), he may well have been in the stark, desolate marl area immediately east of the Jordan River and north of Bethany. He spread his message throughout Transjordan on several different occasions, including during his last journey from Galilee to Jerusalem (Matthew 19).
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
