al-Maghtas

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The world heritage in Jordan
Al-Maghta baptism site, April 2009
The baptismal font during the excavation without water, November 2009

Al-Maghtas ( Arabic المغطس, DMG al-maġṭas  'the place of baptism') is an archaeological site in Jordan . The place is officially known as the baptismal font "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" (al-Maghtas) . 2015 it was included in the UNESCO - World Heritage Site in Jordan added. The area includes a wadi confluence and the so-called Elijahügel on the east bank of the Jordan River and a variety of sites. It is near an ancient road that connected Jerusalem via Jericho through a ford in the Jordan to the Transjordan, where the biblical site of Madaba , Mount Nebo and the King's Road were.

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is said to have taken place in this area. Traces of corresponding veneration can be found since Byzantine times. The area is also connected to other biblical traditions, such as the Israelites crossing the Jordan in the run-up to the conquest and the ascension of the prophet Elijah .

Because of its strategic location, the area was closed and mined until 1994. The subsequent opening and development of the symbolic place received high-level support and attention in Jordan and abroad.

location

Madaba Map , the Bethany west of the Jordan shows

Al-Maghtas is located on the east bank of the Jordan, nine kilometers north of the Dead Sea and ten kilometers southeast of Jericho . The listed site includes two archaeological sites: remains of the monastery on Jabal Mar-Elias Hill (Elijah Hill) and an area by the river with the ruins of churches dedicated to John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus. The two sites are connected by the Wadi Kharrar. A number of baptismal fonts and water pipes use local springs, associated churches, monasteries and pilgrims' quarters indicate the long use and veneration. One possible trigger was the visit of Helena , mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, to the Holy Land in 326 . The original memorial was on the east side of the Jordan, but was moved to the west side in the 6th century. The term al-Maghtas was previously used for both sides of the river. The western part, also known as Qasr al-Yahud , and already developed for tourism, was also mentioned in the UNESCO application due to its archaeological value, but not yet included in the world cultural heritage site.

history

After abandoning al-Maghtas since the early Islamic period, it has regained importance during the British Mandate when some churches were built on the west bank.

Front line in the Six Day War. Al Maghtas is right between the modern Amman-Jerusalem road and the Dead Sea

The site was abandoned again in 1967 during the Six Day War because the front line ran there. Both banks of the Jordan were heavily mined and military restricted areas. Baptisms in the Jordan were sometimes only held in Jardenit .

In 1994, after the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty was signed , Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad visited the area with a Franciscan archaeologist. They also found Roman remains. The prince then campaigned for mine clearance and further development and archaeological and tourist development. Excavations were carried out under the direction of Mohammad Waheeb and important discoveries were made in 1997. The excavations were supported by the German Evangelical Institute for Classical Studies of the Holy Land and with American and Finnish funds.

After a visit by John Paul II in 2000, his successors also visited the baptismal place. In 2002 Christian baptism of Christ, and since then pilgrims celebrated there the first time thousands of Christians alone to the feast of the Lord's appearance there. In the same year, 2002, the baptismal font opened its doors to the general public. In 2015, UNESCO named al-Maghtas a World Heritage Site.

New construction of the Johannes church

Today the 3 km² site is a listed building and is surrounded by an additional 2.3 km² buffer zone on which several new buildings have been built. A newly built large Russian pilgrims' hospice that Vladimir Putin visited in 2012 shows the interest of the Russian Orthodox Church in the baptismal place. There is also a conference center and several churches of different denominations.

Web links

Commons : Bethabara  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ UNESCO backs Jordan River as Jesus' baptism site . In: Al Arabiya News , July 13, 2015. 
  2. ^ "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" (Jordan) No 1446 . In: UNSECO . UNESCO. July 10, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b Ishaan Tharoor: UN backs Jordan's claim on site where Jesus was baptized . In: The Washington Post , July 13, 2015. 
  4. ^ Evaluations of Nominations of Cultural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List: ICOMOS Report (pdf) UNESCO Organization. Pp. 49-50. August 2014. Retrieved November 26, 2015.
  5. ↑ a b Rosemarie Noack: Where Johannes baptized . December 22, 1999. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  6. ^ Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" (Al-Maghtas) - UNESCO World Heritage Center . UNESCO. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  7. ^ The Associated Press: No evidence, but UN says Jesus baptized on Jordan's side of river, not Israel's . In: Times of Israel , July 13, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015. 
  8. ^ Eugenio Alliata, OFM: The Pilgrimage Route During Byzantine Period in Transjordan . In: The Madaba Map Centenary . Studium Biblicum Franciscanum - Jerusalem. 1999. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved on December 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ Jesus' Baptism at Jordan River Named 'World Heritage Site;' but UNESCO Says Only on Jordanian Side, Not Israel . Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  10. ↑ Mohammad Waheeb: 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 . In: Canadian Center of Science and Education (Ed.): Asian Social Science . Volume 8, No. 8, July 2012, pp. 206-207. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  11. ↑ Excerpts copy of Dr. Mohammad Waheeb's website from 2004 ( Memento from January 31, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  12. ↑ Aenon, where now is Sapsaphas ( Memento from November 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  13. ↑ a b Aenon, where now is Sapsaphas ( Memento from November 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ↑ Erhard Gorys: Holy Land Art Guide (Holy Land: A culture guide) ( German ). DuMont, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-7701-3860-0 , p. 160 (accessed on January 11, 2016): “In 1933 the Franciscans built a chapel south of the Johanneskloster. This is followed by a Syrian church and a Coptic chapel. "
  15. ↑ Qasr al-Yahud . A Gedi Hotel. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  16. ↑ a b http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/adding-baptism-site-world-heritage-list-grants-it-further-int%E2%80%99l-recognition%E2%80%99
  17. ↑ a b http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/catholics-celebrate-epiphany-coexistence-faiths-baptism-site#sthash.arczgCyW.dpuf
  18. ^ Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan Takes Center Stage for Papal Visit . In: Ammon News , April 22, 2009. 
  19. ↑ UNESCO settles Jesus baptism site controversy, says Jordan . Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  20. ↑ Seth J. Frantzman: Region's Baptism sites a Bridge Completing the Holy Land Pilgrimage . In: The Jerusalem Post , August 13, 2015. 

Coordinates: 31 ° 50 ′ 13.6 "  N , 35 ° 33 ′ 1.1"  E