The holy ghost town Qasr al-Yahud – a sacred Christian site
Abandoned churches in the middle of the desert – where, according to Christianity, Jesus was baptized and the holy trinity was born
A few abandoned buildings standing alone in the middle of the desert, along the West Bank-Jordan border, looking like a scene from a western movie. But in fact, the structures are the remains of churches that were located in one of the most sacred places for Christians – Qasr al-Yahud in the Jordan Valley.
i24NEWS toured the churches as a part of "heritage week,” a special event held by Israel’s Nature and Park Authority where tourists had the chance to visit different heritage sites in the Jewish state.
Every year in January, thousands of Christian pilgrims flock there to perform the annual epiphany service – marking Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. It is a significant ritual that gathers different streams of Christianity, from the Roman Catholic Church to the Ethiopian Orthodox church.
The history of the churches dates back to the Byzantine era. In the 1930s, some modern churches were built there, including a tiny Roman Orthodox Church, with beautiful frescos on its walls.
"We can see inside that there was a wall that sealed the apse, the round wall." said tour guide Zvi Fisch. "This wall is iconostasis. We can see many images from the bible here, such as the Garden of Eden scene,” he told i24NEWS.
One of the most impressive structures is the Ethiopian Church, although it is abandoned and ruined. Alongside the main church hall is a glimpse into the life of the monks who lived there in the early- and mid-twentieth century. In the monk residency, one can still find evidence from the life that was there several decades ago – like old bottles and oil cans.
The main hall is indeed notable as well, bearing a high-ceiling church, and the only image remaining is a description of Jesus’ baptism, which shows the baptism scene where, according to the Christian faith, the holy trinity was born.
After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the site became a war zone and was covered with mines, as many infiltrators crossed the border from Jordan to Israel. The churches, littered with bullets, were abandoned. In 1994, Israel and Jordan reached a peace treaty, and the place continued to be a closed military zone until Israel recently held a special operation to clear the mines.
Israel has cleared most of the mines and opened the area for tourists and pilgrims, and the only active church there is the Greek Orthodox Church.
"This church was rebuilt during the time of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Zvi. "It is designed like a fortress, the reason for that is that they want to secure themselves from thefts and intruders.”
In 2019, some ceremonies took place in the abandoned churches. However, most of the year, the site is still under military control with limited access to the wider public. It now looks like a ghost town, but will its glory days ever return?