- Jordan doubled the land for a Coptic church at the Baptism Site from 5 to 10 dunums
- The expansion came under a Royal initiative
- The extra land is for more facilities and parking
- Officials hope to attract more Coptic pilgrims
Jordan has doubled the land allocated for a Coptic church under construction at the Baptism Site on the Jordan River, the Jordan Times reported on December 2, 2016, in a report by Dana Al Emam.
Under a Royal initiative, the plot was expanded from five dunums to 10. Five dunums had been donated to the Copts earlier in 2016, and Pope Tawadros II visited Jordan in September 2016. The Baptism Site, 40 kilometres west of Amman, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015.
The additional land will accommodate “more facilities and more parking areas that will help accommodate more visitors.” Baptism Site Commission director Suleiman Farajat said the expansion “will encourage Coptic visitors and pilgrims to visit the site and other religious sites in the country.” Tourism Minister Lina Annab hoped to arrange an annual weeklong Coptic pilgrimage season.
The land grant ties a church building project to the country’s religious tourism strategy.
Jamaica also has sites of religious and historical interest that draw visitors, from old mission churches to heritage cathedrals. Jordan’s approach, granting land to churches near a pilgrimage site and planning parking and facilities around them, shows how church property and tourism can support each other. Jamaican churches near heritage or tourist areas could work with tourism authorities on access, parking and visitor facilities.
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