There are countries with so many visible traces of their history that they can be visited like an open book. In the case of Jordan, it can also be visited as an open Bible. In its 89,300 km2, slightly more than Andalusia, there are a hundred places mentioned in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Among them, scenes of passages such as the baptism of Jesus or the beheading of Saint John the Baptist after Salome’s dance. Here are four memorable examples.
After parting the waters of the Red Sea, receiving the Ten Commandments, and spending forty years in the desert, Moses finally saw the promised land. Today that point is marked by a huge bronze cross with a coiled snake. The monument, the work of the Italian sculptor Giovanni Fantoni, recalls an episode from the Old Testament. During the long Exodus from Egypt in the footsteps of the prophet, the people of Israel protested hunger and fatigue. The Lord, as punishment, sent snakes to spread death among the Hebrews. The survivors begged Moses for forgiveness. And then God ordered him to place a snake on a pole whose gaze would serve as protection against poisonous bites. The prophet made a bronze serpent.
Well, the Serpent Cross presides over the viewpoint of Mount Nebo, just seven kilometers from the city of Mádaba. From its 700 meters above sea level, there is an excellent panoramic view of the Jordan Valley. On clearer days, you can make out Jericho, Hebron, Bethlehem and even Jerusalem.
Become a pilgrimage point since the early days of Christianity, in the 4th century, some Egyptian monks built a small church on the mountain. Already in the 6th century, it was converted into a monastery and basilica but, after a millennium, the place fell into oblivion. The place was not rediscovered until the 1930s. And in the 90s, a modern chapel was built where mosaics of great value are preserved.
Next to the Cross of Moses, another symbol of Mount Nebo is an olive tree that Pope John Paul II planted in 2000. His successor, Benedict XVI, would also visit the place nine years later. For the rest, the place is still shrouded in the mystique of the prophet. Moses died after contemplating the Holy Land, but his tomb has never been located…
Although the precise location of the point in the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized by his cousin John remains the subject of debate, the Church has recognized as such the archaeological site of al-Maghtas (which precisely means “baptism” or “immersion”), also called “Bethany beyond the Jordan.” This is supported by the visit of the last three popes: Francis, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. In addition, the site was recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site in 2015.
Located nine kilometers from the Dead Sea, al-Maghtas covers an area of ??more than five km2 and is divided into two areas. On the one hand, there is Tell al-Kharrar or the hill of Elijah, with three baptismal pools still in operation. The water channeling system that feeds them is preserved, from a nearby spring.
And, on the other hand, the Zor area, where you can visit the Orthodox church of San Juan Bautista. It includes a pool formerly supported by four columns. Needless to say, al-Maghtas has become an important pilgrimage site among the Jordanian Catholic community.
Some remains of a wall, some fragments of a column and a niche that must have contained a throne are what little remains of the scene of one of the most remembered biblical episodes: Salome’s dance, the beheading of Saint John the Baptist and the delivery of his head. on a silver platter. At the top of a hill, about 25 kilometers southeast of the mouth of the Jordan, you can visit the ancient fortress of Machaerus.
In the year 30 BC, Herod the Great – the king who, according to Christian tradition, ordered the killing of children born in Bethlehem to prevent the arrival of the Messiah – conquered that place and turned it into a military fortification. Upon his death, the fort passed into the hands of his firstborn: Herod Antipas. It was he who arrested the Baptist and ultimately ordered his execution. The story is well known.
John the Baptist disapproved of Herod Antipas’s marriage to a divorced woman, Herodias, since it was against Jewish law. Herod Antipas had the prophet imprisoned, but kept him alive to avoid a popular insurrection. However, the daughter of her future wife, Salomé, performed such a charming dance for the monarch’s birthday that he promised her any gift she desired. The young woman, following her mother’s advice, asked for the prisoner’s head.
In the archaeological ruins of Machaerus you can sense the splendor of Herod’s palace. The royal courtyard, with the aforementioned throne niche, is presumed to have been the scene of Herod Antipas’s birthday banquet and Salome’s dance. The ruins of a large cistern, a bath complex with its changing rooms, and a mikveh (ritual purification bath of Judaism) have also been unearthed.
On the shores of the Dead Sea, where today tourists smear themselves with mud and pose for photos floating in the water while pretending to read the newspaper in some luxurious resort… in ancient times, the wrath of Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. According to Genesis, he rained sulfur and fire on “those cities and all the men in them” because of his cruel and selfish behavior.
The sacred text places both towns on a plain, facing the Jordan Valley, but their exact location has not been determined. However, in 2021 a group of scientists identified the possible source of the story of Sodom: it is the city today called Tall el-Hammam, about 20 kilometers from the Holiday Inn resort. According to the study, about 3,600 years ago, a meteorite reduced the entire municipality and every living thing that lived in it to ashes. An intense fire storm broke out, with winds of up to 1,200 km/h.
At the archaeological site of Tall el-Hammam, remains of charcoal, ash and melted mud bricks and ceramics have been found. Experts believe that this tragedy could be the origin of a long oral tradition that would end up crystallizing in the Bible.
