Overview
The Museum of Jesus’ Baptism at Bethany, Jordan – International Design Competition is currently in its active design stage with seven multi-disciplinary design teams competing to win the commission for the new museum.
This site-specific and story-led museum is expected to be a globally significant spiritual and cultural landmark.
Gifted with a site adjacent to the UNESCO World Heritage Site — Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas), the new museum will be located on the east bank of the Jordan River.
For centuries Christian believers, spiritual seekers, and culture enthusiasts have been drawn to the site, inspired to connect with its numinous and holy qualities and history, and to experience the wild and evocative landscape that surrounds it.
To serve these visitors, the Museum is scheduled to open in 2030 to mark the bimillennial of Christ’s baptism.
As described in the New Testament, Jesus came to Bethany Beyond the Jordan to be baptized by John; as he emerged from the water the voice of God the Father was heard; and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. The moment marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the origin of the sacrament of baptism, practiced subsequently across diverse Christian traditions.
The new museum will be Christian-centered, but welcoming and inclusive to all, situated as it is in a landscape where multiple traditions have coexisted across millennia.
It will enrich and extend the visitor experience at the Baptism Site, offering space for reflection and learning and, depending on the individual, preparing visitors for a profound spiritual connection. As a literal and figurative gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the museum will guide visitors on a journey towards the pilgrimage path leading to the river.
Based on current trends and expected growth, the museum is expected to welcome 400,000−450,000 visitors annually. The project is generously funded in part by donors from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The museum will be the anchor project within the wider masterplan for the Baptism Development Zone (BDZ) that will feature a range of visitor experiences for pilgrims, researchers and visitors from around the world.
The competition brief asks teams to create a story-led museum and garden in a sacred place surrounded by a preserved wilderness — a setting dedicated to the history and significance of baptism in the Christian faith.
The project is endorsed by His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and led by the Foundation for the Development of the Lands Adjacent to the Baptism Site. The competition’s winning design will be reviewed in coordination with UNESCO and in accordance with its Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment.
The realized museum will stand as a global symbol of peace, hope and spiritual renewal, and contribute to Jordan’s constellation of Christian pilgrimage sites, affirming the country’s part in the history of the Holy Land.
The Foundation is supported by an Advisory Panel of luminaries spanning the fields of art and architectural history, landscape, museum operations, and cultural heritage. The Panel has been appointed to review the shortlist’s concept designs and recommend a winner.
The shortlisted teams’ concept designs will be revealed in fall 2025 and the winning team announced towards the end of the year.
For more information, please visit our Shortlist and Updates page.