“John answered them, ‘I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.’ This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.”
—John 1:26–28
John the Baptist (Yaḥyā in Arabic) is a revered prophet in Christianity and Islam. It is widely accepted that he lived on the east side of the Jordan River and for about 20 years resided in a cave on the 2000-years old Al-Maghtas’s Elijah’s Hill. This area in Jordan has been globally authenticated by all major Christian Church leaders as one of the three holiest sites of Christianity, next to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and as the place where Jesus was baptized. Photo was taken inside St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, only a short walking distance from the Baptismal Site of Jesus Christ. Photo © OHK Consultants.
A team from OHK was hired to audit the infrastructure and services offered by the Government of Jordan on the Jordanian-side of the Jordan River where the site for the Baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist are located, a 45-minute drive from the capital of Amman. The site is known in Jordan as the Al-Maghtas (baptism, or immersion in Arabic). The area is of global importance and as a result of our work has become, as of 2015, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our team completed a collective scan of the region’s spatial and archaeological history from the times of when John the Baptist was baptizing in "Bethany beyond the Jordan"—the historic area of Bethabara. This area has developed into one of the earliest places of worships and pilgrimage for both Christians and Jews. Over a six-month period of research, and site mapping and analysis we built the first detailed GIS-based inventory of the area’s assets, including all known and documented archaeology and past and current buildings. Despite its significance, the area had never been digitally documented to high levels of detail, specificity, and accuracy.
Our work produced a preliminary master plan of the Jordanian-side of the Jordan River where the site for the Baptism of Jesus and the ministry of John the Baptist are located, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park, a 45-minute drive from the capital of Amman. We based our work on extensive GIS-based mapping and developed circulation and parcelization plans tied to three phases of revival including allocations to build churches and rehabilitated trails of old pilgrimage routes. Photo shows the Jordan River and one of thirteen different historic Christian denominations’ churches on site. Photo © OHK Consultants.
The GIS-inventory tracks for the first time any part of the site spatially and temporally and makes it possible to analyze almost two thousand years of development, research, documentation, and discoveries since the assumed dates for the start of the ministry of John the Baptist around 28–29 AD. Given the scale of this task, the mapping was in and of itself a standalone project and despite not being part of our contractual obligations, our team offered it as a courtesy to the Government of Jordan.
Based on the mapping, we implemented a few work tracks to analyze the area’s potential based on its mandate to preserve the site "as it is". Given Jordan’s increased growth as a tourist destination, we formulated several zero-impact development scenarios focused almost exclusively on minimum site footprint, enhanced visitor experience, improved site management, and better infrastructure and mobility. These scenarios maintain visitation to lower-bound numbers, and can easily sustain OHK's site visitation forecast until 2030. One of three zero-impact scenarios is currently in operation on the site, as of 2018.
Visitors to one of the site’s many immersion pools listen to an explanation by a site guide. Our team recommended an autonomous Jordanian authority to manage the site and operate global marketing and promotion, an international qualification scheme for site guides, and best-practice quality standards for all facets of construction and operation. Photo © OHK Consultants.
Given the government’s desire to make the site one of the most pronounced, active and attractive pilgrimage sites globally, it was necessary to formulate additional growth and development scenarios that induce and serve a larger number of visitors. Three transitional phases were developed and coupled with a site tenant strategy and an international marketing campaign focused on all denominations and all faiths. A cornerstone of the first phase was to allocate land to thirteen different historic Christian denominations to build churches and facilities for doing baptisms, along with service infrastructure and immersion pools. This is the basis of a site-wide revival master plan which would later, as part of the second phase, accommodate rehabilitated trails to old pilgrimage routes of Mount Nebo or Maqam el-Nabi Musa (the burial place of Moses per Christian and some Islamic traditions), Madaba (home to the Byzantine-era mosaic map of the Holy Land), Umm al-Rassas (the biblical settlement of Mephaat) and Mukawir (where Herod imprisoned and executed John the Baptist).
The preliminary master plan included a footprint analysis map tied to circulation and parcelization as well as future development allocations, especially a third phase which would utilize more than 350 dunum of land adjacent to the site. Today this serves as the basis for the site management plan per UNESCO’s World Heritage Site requirements and supports the continued work of historians, archaeologists, and Church leaders and goers. The Baptism Site of Jesus continues to grow in popularity in light of three Popes having visited in the past two decades, Pope John Paul II in 2000, Pope Benedict in 2009, and finally four years ago, Pope Francis.
The identification and recognition of the Baptismal Site of Jesus Christ on the east bank of the River Jordan have given Jordan an unparalleled global asset which meant it was competing directly with Israel’s western bank for biblical and tourism visitors. We completed a benchmark study to evaluate the site versus its peer in Israel, including a visitation forecast study, a comparison between infrastructure and services, and a cross-mapping of key operational aspects, including marketing and promotion, and site guiding, The two share the same River immersion pool as shown in this photo taken from the Jordanian east bank looking at Israel’s western bank. Photo © OHK Consultants.
Included in our work was a benchmark study we conducted to compare the site to its peer on the Jordan River’s western side in Israel. Our comparison included a visitation forecast study, a comparison between infrastructure, and a cross-mapping of key operational aspects, including marketing and promotion, and site guiding. Despite the international recognition received by Jordan’s site, our forecast has shown that it will receive much lower numbers than the west bank’s. We developed an institutional blueprint to address competitive advantage and a weaker Jordan position to attract visitors. We urged five actions in tandem with the master plan, without which the site’s growth and competitiveness would be affected: an autonomous Jordanian authority to manage the site, an international board of trustees that supports the site’s position and finances, a continuous, well-financed and dedicated team and campaign for international marketing, a distinct. non-government, and open to all, international qualification scheme for site guides, and quality standards for all facets of construction and operation. Each of these actions is intended to address a weak competitive advantage of Jordan’s site compared to the west bank.
You can learn more about the Baptismal Site of Jesus Christ here. To learn more about our work in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites and OHK's strategy practice and track record in planning areas of cultural, historical, and landscape significance, contact us.