Jordan develops archaeological site of world’s oldest purpose-built church
Ancient foundation located near beachside hotels on Gulf of Aqaba
With little fanfare, Jordan’s Department of Antiquities has developed an archaeological site offering Christian pilgrims and other tourists a close-up view of the remains of one of the oldest buildings of Christianity.
The site, known as the Aqaba Church, showcases the foundation of what is believed to be oldest still existing building designed as a church from the time of its construction. The church was built sometime between 293 and 303 CE and had a nave or meeting area of 7.3 by 5.6 meters (24 by 18 feet) as well as a priest’s quarters known as a pastophorion and a speaking platform known as an ambo. The ruins also have a staircase whose function has not been determined.
Aqaba is a Jordanian city of about 150,000 people just across the border from the southern Israeli city of Eilat. Aqaba has been a port for thousands of years and has also gained fame as a tourist destination known for its upscale beach hotels and proximity to Jordan’s two most popular tourist destinations, the ancient rock-cut city of Petra and the Wadi Rum desert.
Israel has some buildings that were used as churches or Christian gathering spaces around the time or shortly before the Aqaba Church was built, but they were Roman buildings converted to Christian use. There are also churches on Israeli sites that have been in use for Christian purposes since the fourth century, but due to reconstruction over the centuries it is no longer possible to determine much of any detail about the original structures.
The Aqaba Church is located within about 1,500 feet of luxury beachside hotels on the Gulf of Aqaba and is surrounded by busy city streets. Less than two years ago, the site remained uncovered and had few explanatory signs, but the government has since built a lighted canopy and added detailed signage in Arabic and English. The site is open 24 hours a day, and there is no admission charge.
The church’s foundation was unearthed by archaeologists in 1998. A team headed by North Carolina State University archaeologist S. Thomas Parker quickly identified the foundation as that of a church because of its east-west orientation and floor design that were representative of churches of its era. The site also had artifacts such as fragments of glass oil lamps. Historians believe that Aqaba at the end of the third century had a significant Christian community; a bishop from that area participated in the Council of Nicaea called by Constantine in 325 to discuss controversies such as the nature of the Trinity.
In the years 303 to 313, the Aqaba church was abandoned as many churches throughout the Roman empire were demolished because of the Diocletianic persecution, in which various Roman emperors sought to bring an end to Christian religious practices, Historians believe that the remoteness of Aqaba helped prevent the church from being destroyed.
After the Diocletianic persecution, sometimes known as the Great Persecution, was over, Christian use of the building resumed. However, it was destroyed by an earthquake in 363. Sand blowing in from the Red Sea filled in the foundation, helping preserve the church foundation until it could be unearthed about 16 centuries later.