Qasr al-Yahud Baptism Site
قصر اليهود
A traditional site of Jesus' baptism on the West Bank of the Jordan River, where pilgrims can wade into the river to be baptized.
Qasr al-Yahud Baptism Site lies on the West Bank of the Jordan River, about 10 km southeast of Jericho. It faces the Bethany beyond the Jordan baptism site on the Jordanian side across the river. Christian tradition holds that this is where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, and it is also believed to be where the Israelites crossed the Jordan and where the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven. Pilgrimage facilities existed here in the Byzantine period, and several Orthodox and Catholic monasteries still stand in the surrounding area. The site was closed for long periods after 1967, reopened in 2011, and is currently managed by Israeli authorities. In 2015 it was added to Palestine's tentative World Heritage List. Steps and platforms lead down to the river, where visitors can rent white robes and be baptized. The river is very narrow, and Jordan is directly on the other side. Admission is free. The site usually opens at 8:00 and closes at 17:00 in summer and 16:00 in winter, with entry stopping one hour before closing. Hours may be shorter on Fridays. Most visitors arrive by chartered car or on a tour from Jerusalem or Jericho.
Opening hours
Summer 8:00 am–5:00 pm, winter 8:00 am–4:00 pm; may close earlier on Fridays and before holidays
Nearby sights
- Mount Scopus
- Mount of Olives
- Gethsemane & Church of All Nations
- Tomb of the Virgin Mary
- Church of Saint Anne & Pool of Bethesda
- Rockefeller Archaeological Museum
- Dome of the Rock (Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif)
- City of David & Hezekiah's Tunnel