Lubna Hanna Ammari

In 2030, Jordan will stand before a historic moment of global significance: the commemoration of the 2,000th anniversary of the Baptism of Jesus Christ at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, known in Arabic as Al-Maghtas. The occasion is far more than a religious anniversary. It is an opportunity for Jordan to present one of its most important spiritual and cultural landmarks to the world and to demonstrate how heritage, technology and human connection can come together in the digital age.

The Baptism Site is not simply another archaeological destination. Located on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, north of the Dead Sea, Bethany Beyond the Jordan is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and is traditionally identified as the place where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Its archaeological landscape includes churches, chapels, monasteries, caves and baptismal pools that reflect centuries of religious activity and pilgrimage. UNESCO’s recognition in 2015 placed the site within a global framework of outstanding cultural and religious heritage.

Jordan has already begun preparing for 2030. In August 2026, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan chaired the first meeting of the National Committee responsible for preparing the commemoration, following directives from His Majesty King Abdullah. The national plans include developing infrastructure, improving services for pilgrims and visitors, establishing a museum dedicated to the Baptism, and developing an integrated visitors’ and pilgrims’ village. Four agreements worth approximately $120 million have also been signed for projects surrounding the Baptism Site.

Yet physical infrastructure alone will not determine how the world experiences Baptism 2030. The next generation of visitors increasingly discovers destinations through digital platforms before ever setting foot on the ground. This is where artificial intelligence can become a strategic national asset rather than simply another technological tool.

Jordan could create an AI-powered digital gateway to Al-Maghtas, allowing people anywhere in the world to explore the site virtually, learn about its history, understand its religious significance and plan an eventual pilgrimage. An intelligent multilingual digital guide could communicate in Arabic, English, Chinese, Spanish, French, Italian, German and other major languages, adapting its explanations to the visitor’s age, interests, cultural background and level of knowledge. Such a platform could transform the Baptism Site from a destination that people discover when they arrive in Jordan into a destination they begin experiencing long before their journey.

Artificial intelligence could also help bring the layers of history embedded in Al-Maghtas to life. Through augmented and virtual reality, visitors could explore reconstructed historical landscapes, ancient churches and archaeological features while clearly distinguishing between documented historical evidence and digital reconstruction. AI could help personalizethese experiences, enabling a student, researcher, pilgrim or tourist to explore the same heritage site from a different perspective.

The opportunity extends beyond the physical boundaries of Al-Maghtas. AI could connect the Baptism Site with Jordan’s wider religious and cultural heritage, creating intelligent digital journeys linking Christian pilgrimage sites, archaeological landmarks, museums, churches and communities across the Kingdom. Instead of presenting individual destinations separately, Jordan could offer visitors a connected digital narrative of a country where history, faith, culture and coexistence intersect.

There is also an important economic dimension. AI-powered tourism platforms can help visitors discover local accommodation, restaurants, transportation, handicrafts, cultural experiences and community-based tourism. By connecting international visitors with local businesses and communities, the digital experience could extend the economic benefits of Baptism 2030 beyond the immediate vicinity of the site.

This vision would also be consistent with Jordan’s broader national direction. The Jordanian Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Implementation Plan 2023–2027 identifies artificial intelligence as a national priority and seeks to position Jordan as a regional leader in AI while developing the country’s technological and human capabilities. The strategy includes 68 projects and initiatives across priority sectors.

However, technology must serve the heritage, not replace it. The greatest danger in creating a digital experience around a sacred site would be allowing artificial intelligence to turn spirituality into entertainment or historical interpretation into algorithmic storytelling. Every AI-generated reconstruction, translation and narrative should therefore be based on verified sources and reviewed by historians, archaeologists, theologians and relevant religious authorities. The UNESCO status of Al-Maghtas also makes preservation and authenticity essential considerations as Jordan develops new visitor experiences.

The real ambition for Baptism 2030 should therefore not be simply to attract more visitors. It should be to create a model for how a country can use emerging technology to make heritage more accessible without compromising its authenticity, dignity or sacred character.

Jordan has an extraordinary story to tell. In 2030, the world will be looking toward the banks of the Jordan River to remember an event whose meaning has travelled across two millennia and across cultures and continents. With thoughtful use of artificial intelligence, Jordan can ensure that this story is not only remembered at the site itself, but experienced, understood and shared digitally by millions around the world.

Baptism 2030 can consequently become more than a commemoration of the past. It can become a demonstration of how Jordan connects its ancient heritage with the technologies of the future transforming Al-Maghtas into not merely a place to visit, but a global digital experience of history, faith, peace and human connection.

The writer is a specialist in educational technology