Jordan to Celebrate 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ Baptism in 2030
Jordan signed four agreements worth an estimated $120 million to expand the area surrounding the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism, launching a major construction program before a planned 2,000th-anniversary commemoration in 2030.
The projects cover 346 acres beside Bethany Beyond the Jordan, also known as Al-Maghtas. Plans call for a $50 million baptism museum, a nearly $40 million village for pilgrims and visitors, $27 million in infrastructure and a $3 million green corridor. The site is directly across from the Israeli baptism site Qasr al-Yahud which sees hundreds of thousands of Christian tourists and pilgrims each year. The Israeli site has also undergone major renovations and is one of the stops on Heartland to Holyland tours which are operated by Metro Voice owners Dwight and Antia Widaman.
Preliminary work on the museum and village is scheduled to begin by March 2027. Major construction is expected to start by June, with completion targeted for early 2029, according to Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency.
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, who chairs the national committee overseeing the commemoration, said Jordan is mobilizing government resources to strengthen the kingdom’s standing as a destination for Christian pilgrims. King Abdullah II directed the government to support the initiative proposed by Jordan’s Council of Church Leaders and coordinate with churches worldwide.
Hassan called the anniversary an “opportunity to reinforce Jordan’s position as a land of religious heritage and a global destination for Christian pilgrims.”
The museum is planned as a 5,500-square-meter facility presenting the site’s biblical and historical significance. The village would provide a hotel, church, restaurants, shops, reception areas and a visitor center. Road, water, irrigation, electricity and solar projects also are included.
The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist appears in all four Gospels and marks the opening of Jesus’ public ministry. John 1:28 places John’s baptizing activity at Bethany across the Jordan.
“Baptism marks the beginning: the beginning of the mission of Christ and the beginning of our new life in it,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, said during a May meeting with King Abdullah, according to OSV News.
UNESCO added the Jordanian site to its World Heritage List in 2015. The designation cites archaeological evidence of baptism and Christian pilgrimage dating to the fourth century, although UNESCO advisers said archaeology cannot conclusively establish the precise spot of Jesus’ baptism.
Jordan hopes to draw 1 million Christian visitors during the 2030 anniversary year, compared with about 200,000 visitors in a typical year. Israel is expecting more than 4 million visitors that year.
If you would like to join the Metro Voice tour and have an opportunity to enter the Jordan River at this spot, they have room for one more couple on the October 2026 tour. Visit Heartland to Holyland for more information.
–Alan Goforth
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