Page 22 - Holyland Magazine - 2010 Edition

Palm-shaded gateway to Kasr al Yahud
Monastery on the way to the Jordan
River. Photo: Yael Ilan
This vivid description by the famed
curmudgeonly writer reinforces the
inescapable impression that little has
changed here since the 19th century. And
that is its charm. The designers of the
essential tourist amenities here, as well as
those planned for the future in the area
outside the actual baptismal site, have
made good on their pledge to protect the
authenticity of this precious, unspoiled
place. Indeed, the site, with its wide steps considering various solutions to the
going down to the water and its modest
visitor center, blends in with the area's
natural colors, ensuring that the river and
its storied banks remain the “star” of this
unique region.
Mark Twain had another complaint about
the Jordan: “We knew by our wading
experience, however, that many streets in
America are double as wide as the Jordan.”
Visits to the Jordan River must be pre-arranged. Ask your travel planner to do so by e-mailing the Israel Nature and Parks Authority site director, Sa’ar Kfir, at saark@npa.org.il
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But the seasonal situation Twain observed
at the end of eight rainless months is now
the default status of the Jordan, due to
the pumping of water since the 1960s
from the Sea of Galilee.
Connected by the diminishing Jordan to
the Sea of Galilee, the unique Dead Sea
is drying up too, a matter of great concern
to those who love this landscape. Israel is
problem, among them more desalination
plants on the Mediterranean, so more
water could be released into the Jordan.
Israel’s heritage and nature experts know
full well that the Jordan is an irreplaceable movement was born of the desire to go
symbol for Bible-loving people around the
world.
When you return from the Jordan, driving
south along the main road (Highway 90)
to the Dead Sea, don’t miss another of the
region’s gems, the monastery of Dir Hijleh
(possibly from Beit Hoglah [Joshua 18:19],
one of the border points of the tribe of
Judah).
In the shady courtyard, you may find
Christian families from Nazareth picnicking
at one table and a Jewish desert study tour
at another. Inside the church, which dates
from 1885, the altars are adorned with
snapshots of the sick, left there by family
members hoping for miracles of healing
associated with the monastery's founder,
Gerasimos, a leader of the early movement
of Christians to the desert. This massive
back to the simplicity of the first Christians,
a present-day aspiration that is sure to lead
many visitors to this pristine part of the
most famous river in the world.