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Jordan preps for 2,000 years since Jesus' baptism
Jordan's Crown Prince walked the Jordan River site where Christians believe Jesus was baptized, with a millennium-sized deadline in 2030.
In brief
Jordan's Crown Prince walked the Jordan River site where Christians believe Jesus was baptized, with a millennium-sized deadline in 2030. Jordan is treating the 2030 baptism bimillennial as a national project, upgrading Al-Maghtas now so it can host the world's Christian pilgrims then. Originally reported by…
A 2030 anniversary looms
The year 2030 marks 2,000 years since the traditional date of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. Jordan wants to be ready for the crowds that date will bring.
The site itself
Bethany Beyond the Jordan, known today as Al-Maghtas, is the place long held to be where Christ was baptized. It sits on the Jordanian bank of the river.
The Crown Prince shows up
On September 13, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II toured the site and issued directives to improve it for Christian pilgrims and visitors.
Plan it properly
The royal court said the celebrations must match the weight of the occasion, and cement Jordan's place as a top global destination for Christian pilgrimage.
“The Crown Prince emphasised the need to carefully plan for the 2030 millennium celebrations”
Tell the world it exists
He pushed for wider promotion of the Baptism Site, working with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the Jordan Tourism Board and other partners.
Dug up and world listed
Excavations at Al-Maghtas have uncovered churches, chapels, hermits' caves and a baptistery. UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 2015.
The essence
Jordan is treating the 2030 baptism bimillennial as a national project, upgrading Al-Maghtas now so it can host the world's Christian pilgrims then.
