Arabs call this place, "Dir Hijleh." Hadjla means partridge, mentioning the birds that met the sons of Israel when they were crossing the waters of the Jordan River. According to Christian legend, a ferocious lion lived in these places. He was tearing asunder anyone who was appearing on his way. Only Gerasimus was able to approach the lion and extract a splinter from his paws. The lion became calm and peaceful and served Gerasimus faithfully. After the death of Gerasim, the lion did not leave Gerasimus's grave until he passed the next world.
Traveling to the place of baptism on the Jordan River and the ancient monastery of Deir Hijleh takes only an hour and a half. This one and a half hours bring us to a fantastic story. The Jordan River is associated primarily with the baptism of Jesus Christ from John the Baptist. The place where these events took place is called in Arabic Qasr El Yahud - the court of the Jew. The centuries-old tradition of baptism was renewed after the signing of a peace treaty between Jordan and Israel. The border between the countries runs along the river, and only a few meters are divided between them. Not far from the place of baptism is one of the oldest monasteries on the Dead Sea - the monastery of St. Gerasimus. It was one of the first monasteries of Koinonia. The walls of the monastery remember the battles of Muslims and crusaders. The skulls of monks pretend to be the bones of the martyrs of the Persian conquest. A journey of ten kilometers takes us on a tour of twenty centuries. Do not miss this adventure on the Dead Sea.
