Distance by Road: The site is 40 minutes drive from Amman and 10 minutes from the Dead Sea.

The general area from the Jordan River eastwards is associated with the ministry of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. It is known as the Baptism Site 'Al-Maghtas' in Arabic. The recent excavations in the area of Bethany in beyond the Jordan in 1997 uncovered a series of ancient sites associated with the tradition of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus.

At the site of Tell al-Kharrar, identified as Bethany beyond the Jordan, a Byzantine monastery was discovered. The site is located nearly 2 km east of the Jordan River, at the head of Wadi Al Kharrar. Among the discoveries in the original settlement at Al-Maghtas are seven churches from the 1st century, as well as remains of many Byzantine churches from later centuries.

Combined evidence from archaeological discoveries, the biblical text, Byzantine and Medieval writers' accounts and the Orthodox Church, place the baptism of Jesus and the tradition of St. John the Baptist's mission adjacent to and directly east of the Jordan River in the land of the modern Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Both St. Jerome and the 4th century historian Eusebius identify the site as an integral part of the early Christian pilgrimage route between Jerusalem and Mt. Nebo. It also appears in the oldest mosaic map in the world in the church in Madaba

Bethany beyond the Jordan has been hallowed as sacred ground since the centuries immediately after the time of Christ long been known from the Bible, John 1:28 speaks of "Bethany beyond the Jordan" as the place where John baptized in the early days of his ministry. The expression "beyond the Jordan' referring to the east bank, John 10:40 says that Jesus traveled across the Jordan to the place where John first baptized: "And He went again beyond the Jordan, into that place where John was first baptizing and there he Abode"; Mathew 3:13 states that Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

This Bethany is not to be confused with the village of Bethany near Jerusalem, where the Bible says Lazarus was raised from the dead. When John mentions another Bethany in the story of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), he is careful to distinguish this second Bethany from the first by describing it as "…only two miles from Jerusalem," clearly not the baptism site.

The Tour: A shuttle service transfers visitors from the visitors center to where they can see the Byzantine monastery at Bethany beyond the Jordan, the churches, monasteries, prayer halls, the pools and other ancient remains on the pilgrims' route, the Wadi el-Kharrar, and the "Jungle of the Jordan" region alongside the Jordan River.

Service facilities that have been provided by the Jordanian government include a new road from the Dead Sea area, a visitors' centre, paths and walkways to the most important religious and archaeological sites, and all necessary sanitary and transport facilities and trails for the handicapped.

The King's Road
There are two routes connecting Amman with south of Jordan; the desert way, and the King’s Way. The Desert Highway is the faster route to reach cities in south Jordan.
The 5000 year old King's Highway is a recently repaved road links the capital Amman with Petra and Aqaba. The .road winds and twists its way through many ecological zones of the country including forested highlands, open farmland plateaus, deep ravines and the edge of the eastern desert, and the warm tropical Gulf of Aqaba .

Lining both sides of the ancient route (335 kilometer) a rich chain for archeological sites. From Amman, visitors can take the King's Highway to visit Madaba, Mount Nebo, Machaerus , Wadi Al Mujib, Kerak, Shobak, Petra, Wadi Rum & Aqaba.

More Photo's