An international advisory board has been formed to oversee the Baptism Site Development Zone, in line with His Majesty King Abdullah’s commitment to safeguarding the site as a global tourism and pilgrimage destination.The Baptism Site of Jesus Christ in Jordan, also known as Bethany Beyond the Jordan, holds great significance for all Abrahamic faiths, and is one of the most sacred places on earth for all Christians, since it is where Jesus Christ was baptised by John the Baptist, and where Christianity began, according to a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

Source: Upon Royal directives, international advisory board formed to oversee Baptism Site Development Zone

While UNESCO and the Vatican agree the site is in Jordan, a spot across the Jordan River, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, draws more visitors.

Source: Where Jesus Was Baptized, Jordan Vies With Israel For Tourists

Jordan – Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas)

In 2015, UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee added the archaeological complex at Al-Maghtas, Jordan—dubbed the Biblical “Bethany beyond the Jordan”—to its World Heritage List. The site has been venerated as the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus since the late Roman–early Byzantine periods, when early Christians began making pilgrimages to the area.

Archaeological work conducted from 1996 to 2002 in modern Jordan about 7 miles north of Dead Sea on the eastern shore of the Jordan River uncovered a number of Byzantine-period buildings. Near the bank of the river, archaeologists excavated a series of churches celebrating the site of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. About two miles east of this church complex lies a small hill called Tell el-Kharrar or Tel Mar Elyas (“Elijah’s Hill”—early Christian tradition associated this site with the place where prophet Elijah ascended to heaven).

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