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Contrary to how it is traditionally represented in songs, poems and paintings, the River Jordan is unimpressively shallow, muddy and narrow.
It is less than 10m (30ft) across and about 2m (6ft) deep.
However, these reed-lined waters overflow with spiritual significance that makes them a precious resource.
The tribes of Israel under Joshua are said to have crossed here to enter the Promised Land after years of wandering in the desert.
This is also where it is believed Jesus was baptised by Saint John, a preacher who wore a cloak of camel hair, lived on locusts and honey, and developed the practice of immersing people in the river to show they had repented of their sins and turned to God for forgiveness.
Nowadays nearly half-a-million annual visitors, mostly Christian pilgrims, flock to rival baptism sites on opposite banks of the river a few miles north of the Dead Sea - one side is in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the other in Jordan.