The east of Jordan River, one of the most important places associated with the lives of Jesus and John the Baptist (pbut), the settlement of Bethany, or Al-Maghtas in Arabic, where John lived and baptized. John 1:28 refer to it as “Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing”. Visit & Explore Bethany
One of the five sites officially recognized by the Vatican and all Christian denominations in the world since the turn of the third millennium. Tel Mar Elias is very close to the ruins of a village known as Listib. It is believed that this place was formerly Tishbe, the home of Elijah, a native of Gilead in Transjordan. Visit & Explore Tel Mar Elias
The ancient town of Anjara is located in the hills of Gilead, east of the Jordan Valley. The Bible makes mention of this town as a place where Jesus, his mother Mary and his disciples passed through and rested in a nearby cave. Visit & Explore Lady of the Mount
Machaerus is a hilltop fortress, purportedly the palace of Herod, King of Judea, during Jesus’s lifetime. This would have been where Salomé danced for Herod’s son, Herod Antipas, and here John the Baptist was later beheaded. Standing on this hill, visitors can see stunning views of the Dead Sea and the West Bank. At this hilltop fortified palace overlooking, was life of Jesus Christ. Herod imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist after Salome’s fateful dance” Matthew 14:3-11. Visit & Explore Machaerus
Mount Nebo is where, according to the Old Testament, Moses saw the land he would never enter. Because this mountain’s connection to the Moses story, it is a prominent place of Christian pilgrimage. In the year 2000, the late Pope John Paul II commemorated the beginning of the new millennium with a spiritual pilgrimage to the Holy Land, starting his visit with prayers in the basilica at Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo was designated as a Jubilee Year 2000 pilgrimage site by the Catholic Church in the Middle East, Visit & Explore Mount Nebo
The World’s Oldest Holy Land Map Madaba dates from the Middle Bronze Age. The town of Madaba was once a Moabite border city, mentioned in the Bible in Numbers 21:30 and Joshua 13:9. Control over the city changed back and forth between Israel and Moab, as mentioned in the Mesha Stele. “It extended from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the middle of the gorge, and included the whole plateau of Medeba as far as Dibon”— Joshua 13:9. Visit & Explore Madaba
This rectangular walled city is mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. It was fortified by the Romans, and subsequently embellished by local Christians with Byzantine-style mosaics over 100 years into the start of the Muslim Umayyad rule.Most of the city now lies in ruins, but there are several structures in its eastern part that have been excavated and restored. Just outside the city walls is the recently unearthed Church of Saint Stephen. Its perfectly-preserved outstanding mosaic floor is the largest of its kind to be discovered in Jordan; second only to the world-famous mosaic map at Madaba. The mosaic depicts the images of 27 Old and New Testament cities of the Holy Land, both east and west of the River Jordan. Visit & Explore Umm Ar-Rasas
Some of the most important events in the lives of Isaac’s twin sons, Jacob, and Esau, took place in ancient Jordan. It is believed to be the place where Jacob stopped during his journey from Mesopotamia to Canaan. They have long been identified with two sites in north-central Jordan: (the eastern and western hills of gold). Jacob had reconciled with his uncle Laban at Mizpah in Gilead, but he still feared his brother Esau as he had stolen his birthright. When Jacob camped at Mahanaim on his way to meet Esau, he was greeted by the angels of God who came to protect him. In the holy Bible, Genesis 32:30 states, “And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed Jacob there. So, Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared”. Visit & Explore Pella
The Dead Sea is one of the most dramatic places on Earth, with its stunning natural environment equally matched by its powerful spiritual symbolism. The Bible variously calls it the “Sea of Arabah”, the “Salt Sea”, or the “Eastern Sea”. but the Arab people have always known it as Bahr Lut (Lot’s Sea). Visit & Explore Dead Sea and Lot’s Cave
Formerly the city of Gadara, Umm Qais overlooks the Sea of Galilee. This is the place where Jesus taught the people about the Kingdom of God and performed his miracles. The old Decapolis city of Gadara (modern-day Umm Qays) boasts spectacular panoramic views overlooking the Sea of Galilee. It is here that Jesus performed the miracle of the Gadarene swine, casting spirits out of a demented man and into a herd of pigs, which then ran down the hill into the waters of the Sea of Galilee and drowned. Visit & Explore Umm Qays
Jerash, formerly known as Gerasa, is indisputably the most complete and bestpreserved Graeco-Roman city in the Middle East, noted in the Bible as the “region of the Garasenes” (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). In a large ecclesiastical complex within the city, there is a fountain where Byzantine citizens once annually celebrated Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine. Today, the “Fountain Court” within Jerash is a popular destination for modern pilgrims who want to re-enact the travels and teachings of Christ. Visit & Explore Jerash
The Bible’s Old Testament mention of Petra under several possible names, including Sela and Joktheel (2 Kings 14:7). During the Exodus, Moses and the Israelites passed through the Petra area in Edom. Moses was never allowed to enter the Holy Land, as he disobeyed God’s commands to speak to a rock to bring forth water, choosing to strike it instead (Numbers 20:10-24). Local tradition says that the spring at Wadi Musa (Valley of Moses), just outside Petra, is this same place. Visit & Explore Petra
Hisban is located on the edge of the highland plateau, overlooking the northern tip of the Dead Sea and the Lower Jordan Valley. Modern-day Hisban is widely identified with one of the Cities of the Plain, Heshbon, due to the similarity in their names (Numbers 21:26). Formerly ruled by the Amorite King Sihon, this region of central Jordan was referenced in the Song of Solomon 7:5, “…your eyes are like pools in Heshbon”. Visit & Explore Hisban
Job is one of the earliest patriarchal figures in the Bible, whose book is one of the world’s great masterpieces of religious literature. The City of As-Salt, northwest of Jordan’s capital, Amman, houses the tomb/shrine of Job. The story of Job, who endured great hardships, is regarded as one of the oldest in the Bible. Visit & Explore As-Salt
The King’s Highway is first mentioned by name in Numbers 20:17, when Moses led the Exodus through southern Jordan. Moses asked the King of Edom if he and his people could “go along the King’s Highway” during their journey to Canaan, but his request was denied, Visit & Explore The King’s Highway
It arises from springs near Amman (biblical Ammon) and flows 73 kilometers (45 miles) through the wide and deep valleys to empty into the Jordan River. Thanks to overuse and heavy pollution the river is in a very poor condition. Recently, the Ministry of the Environment and the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature have placed it in a high priority position for restoration and rehabilitation. Visit & Explore The Yabbok River
The Jordanian capital, Amman, is mentioned in the Bible by the name of Rabath Ammon in the story of King Og, an Ammonite King famed for being a giant of a man (Deuteronomy 3:11). The city was also known as Philadelphia, named so in the 3rd century BC after the Ptolemic ruler Philadelphus. Amman today boasts a number of important ruins, including the Roman Theatre, a Roman temple and several Byzantine churches. The archeological museum situated in the Citadel owns one of the finest collections of ancient artifacts in the Middle East, including some of the Copper Dead Sea scrolls. Visit & Explore Amman
Discover the amazing hot springs that have little-known biblical significance. The beautiful mineral hot springs and waterfalls of Hammamat Ma’in are located near the Dead Sea. Herod the Great is believed to have bathed at the Ma’in hot springs, known then as Belemounta. Since then, people have enjoyed these baths for centuries. Visit & Explore Hot Springs
Aqaba The first site in southern Jordan mentioned in the Exodus is Eziongeber (Number 33-35). Ezion-geber and Elath (or Eloth) were port towns located at, or near, the Red Sea port of Aqaba. They are best known for their roles during the Iron Age, a few hundred years after the time of the Exodus. These locations are associated with both King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Deuteronomy 2:8), as well as The Chronic Wars between the kings of Judah and Edom (1 Kings 9:26, 2 Kings 14:22). In recent years, what is believed to be the oldest purpose-built church in the world has been discovered in Aqaba. Visit & Explore Aqaba “Red Sea”
Wadi Rum where Moses wrote parts of the Torah. The Biblical itinerary of Numbers 33 mentions several places in this desert (referred to as “the wilderness” in scripture). Hazeroth is on the southeastern corner along the border with Saudi Arabia. Rithmah is in south central Rum near Mount Paran (Jabal Umm Ad Dami). Rimmon Parez (which literally means “the breaking of the pomegranate”) is in north central Rum. Visit & Explore Wadi Rum “The Valley of the Moon”
