Qasr Al-Yahud, on the banks of the Jordan River, is believed to be the traditional sight of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. Because this spot is located directly on the border between Israel and Jordan, this site has been closed to the public since 1967, except for special occasions that must be coordinated with the state of Israel and the IDF.
One such special occasion is the visit of a pope. Although Pope Benedict visited the Jordanian side of the Jordan River, Israel opened the site to visitors for a 2-week period. J and I drove to the Judean Desert after church today to take advantage of the opportunity to see the site. Getting there required driving through the military border zone. Once at the site, we were the only people there, except for the Israeli army guys stationed there to keep watch.
The Jordanian side of the river. So near, yet so far away! No crossing is allowed….
The site was opened to the public on the Jordanian side after the peace agreement with Israel was signed in the 1990’s. Archeological work on the Jordan side is ongoing.
Prior to this location becoming an international border, it was a very popular tourist attraction for Christian pilgrims to Israel. We spotted remains of old churches in the area.
According to Israeli news sources, the Israeli government is planning to rebuild this site and make it more readily available for tourists to visit. But we will see if that becomes reality. There was evidence of work being done at the site, especially by the river’s edge. However, we are a bit skeptical that it was all done merely to give a good impression to the Pope viewing the Israeli side from across the river.
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