The River Jordan is a small river – just about 250km long – that flows from mountains in the north to the Dead Sea just east of the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle East.

In most cases, this unremarkable desert river would not be known except to people who live there. But in this case the River Jordan is known across the world, and indeed, might well be said to be one of the best-known rivers in the world.

The reputation of the River Jordan comes first and foremost because it was the place where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist.

Biblical Jordan
The Jordan leaves the Sea of Galilee and flows south down to the Dead Sea. Here the slope of the river is much less, and the river meanders (winds) on its final stretch. Just south of the Sea of Galilee is one of the most important places in both Christian and Jewish traditions. For Christians it is the place where Jesus was baptised.