The "Bethany Beyond The Jordan" May Have Finally Been Found

Rami G. Khouri/Teresa Neumann Reporting : May 20, 2005
The Daily Star

The Lebanon Daily Star, a middle east publication, has reported that substantial new evidence from archaeological excavations may have definitively located the area where Jesus was baptized. Experts began searching for the site, dubbed "Bethany beyond the Jordan," over 100 years ago.

The numerous artifacts unearthed in the 8 square kilometer region on the east bank of the Jordan River confirm that the area was inhabited during the life of Jesus and John the Baptist. As a result, the site is quickly becoming a major new destination for Christian pilgrims.

The key discoveries, according to the report, are the Byzantine monastery and earlier Roman-era remains at Tell al-Kharrar; several smaller Byzantine churches, chapels, monks' hermitages, caves, and hermit cells; a large Byzantine multi-church complex; a ceramic pipeline bringing water to the site from several kilometers east; a large plastered pool and adjacent khan halfway between Tell al-Kharrar and the Jordan; another pilgrims' rest station and khan several kilometers east, on the ancient pilgrimage route to Mount Nebo. The discoveries have archaeologists and biblical geographers alike, excited.