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The Glossary

Wadi - "a dried up riverbed found in the mountain valleys."

From Jordan Glossary

Bethany, or the “House of Figs,” is Holy Land’s next big thing after Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Overtime, the site has been identified by a handful of archeologists and scholars as the place where Jesus was baptized by John, the same spot where John the Baptist preached the Holy Gospel to the then-pagan inhabitants.

Biblical importance

For millennia, historians claim that Bethany is the route Jesus traversed from Galilee all the way to the Umm Qais where he spent his 40 days of solitude in the empty desert. It was also in Bethany, beyond the Jordan valley, that John was decapitated by King Herod in the hilltop palace of Machaerus.

In the New Testament, the town was referenced in relation to some of the most important happenings in the Bible such as the raising of Lazarus from his death, the entry of Jesus to Jerusalem during the Palm Sunday, the dinner of Jesus in the house of Simon the Leper the Ascension of Jesus to Heaven.

Bethany today

Today, visitors and believers troop to the pilgrim sites and the churches in Bethany to have a glimpse of the remains of the fortified walls, the extensive wells and baptismal pools. Apart from its religious worth, Bethany is also a notable place for a relaxing vacation with the panoramic view of Mt. Nebo and Temple Mount (great for morning trek) and the ancient city Jericho and the Dead Sea.

Among the landmarks that are still standing are the Tomb of Lazarus (located at the slopes of Mount Olives), the 2000-year old house at Al-Eizariya, reputedly the oldest house in Bethany which has become a popular pilgrimage site.

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