Revealed for the first time in 50 years: Churches at West Bank site where many believe Jesus was baptised are reopened after workers remove landmines from the area (21 Pics)

The religious site where many Christians believe Jesus was baptised has been accessed for the first time in five decades after thousands of landmines were cleared.

Churches in the 'land of the monasteries' in the Jericho-area wilderness were closed off for 50 years after the Six Day War in 1967. 

The site, known as Qaser al-Yahud, situated on the western bank of the River Jordan, is believed to be where John the Baptist baptised Christ. 

It is the third holiest site in the Christian world after the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. 

The area near Qasr Al-Yahud, a traditional baptism site along the Jordan River, near Jericho in the occupied West Bank, has been seen for the first time in fifty years

The prayer room of the Ethiopian church is covered in dust and rubble, although paintings remain on the walls as light shines through a cross hole in the wall 

Old candles inside the prayer room of the Ethiopian church at Qasr al Yahud baptism site, along with cross-designed cupboards 

Explosives that were found at Qasr al Yahud baptism site after the first 1,500 explosives were pulled from the dirt 

Eight church compounds, including one belonging to the Roman Catholic Church and seven Eastern Orthodox Churches were built in the 1930s, but were deserted when anti-tank mines and other explosive were laid around them. During the conflict the site was rigged with explosives to prevent gunmen hiding in the churches.  

Now, the contents of three of the churches can be seen for the first time after being cleared. The doors have been opened for the first time in decades, although only those with special access rights can get in at the moment because of the explosives.

As well as copies of Original life magazine, decades old paintings and artefacts were found.

At the crumbling, brick-and-concrete Ethiopian monastery on Sunday, a fading fresco of Jesus being baptised by John the Baptist could still be seen inside.

The interior of a deserted church showing a crumbling desk and paintings hanging on the walls, including one under a large cross 

Original life magazine from 1967 with a picture of the Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan is seen inside the Ethiopian church at Qasr al Yahud baptism site

Reuven Weismer from the Israel Mine Clearance Authority holds an original Life magazine from 1967 at the Ethiopian church at Qasr al Yahud

Old bottles are seen inside the Ethiopian church as de-mining workers clear 1,500 of a predicted 6,500 explosives from the area which was rigged during conflict

Signs hung on the walls with notifications that the location had been cleared of explosives.

A collection of pieces of mortars and other explosive remnants sat alongside a nearby roadside as a demonstration of some of what had been found.

Efforts to clear thousands of landmines and other ordnance around the site in the occupied West Bank has been ongoing since March.

Defense Ministry officials expect to find a further three thousand targets, consisting of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and other explosive remnants of war 

The Ethiopian church at Qasr al Yahud baptism site where it is believed Jesus was baptised. Pilgrims used to visit the site before the conflict saw it surrounded by mines 

On Sunday, the first images of the church were released. This shows the outside of an Ethiopian church at Qasr al-Yahud in the occupied West Bank near the Jordan river

The interior of a deserted church includes chairs and tables which are covered in dust after abandonment for fifty years

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) has been found at the site by the de-mining groups working to make the area safe again

There are still thousands of mines laid around the site of the churches which are currently being assessed by specialist teams 

The majority of the mines were laid by Israeli forces after the country seized control of the West Bank in 1967 from Jordanian troops.

Other unexploded ordnance from both Israel and Jordan has remained lodged in the ground, including around the churches, which were evacuated by Israel in the 1970s.

Israel's control of the West Bank has never been recognised by the international community, which considers the land occupied Palestinian territory.

British de-mining charity Halo Trust and Israeli firm 4CI have cleared 1,500 of an estimated 6,500 mines.

The Ethiopian church at Qasr al-Yahud, which is the spot on the Jordan River where Jesus is believed to have been baptised

A detailed image under a wooden cross on the site of the abandoned church which has not been visited for fifty years 

The project to clear the area began in March and could continue for another year as authorities are hopeful the land of monasteries could once again attract visitors from all over the world

Work at the site just north of the Dead Sea is being overseen by Israel's defence ministry.

So far, 50 out of 250 acres have been cleaned up, and the initiative – described by Marcel Aviv, the head of the Mine Action Authority as challenging and complex – should be finished by the end of 2019.

The entire project is expected to cost 20 million shekels or £4.3million.

However, it is believed tens of thousands of people will benefit. Last year, 570,000 pilgrims visited a restricted part of the river bank, which was opened to the public in 2011. 

The work requires another eight months to a year to complete, said Moshe Hilman of Israel's defence ministry.

Mines and other ordnance have been cleared from Ethiopian and Greek Orthodox monastery sites as well as a Franciscan chapel, organisers said.

Bullet marks are seen on the columns inside the church while another can be seen far in the distance. Other grounds belonging to Russian, Syrian, Romanian and Coptic Orthodox churches

Other grounds belonging to Russian, Syrian, Romanian and Coptic Orthodox churches are yet to be cleared.

The plan once complete is to return the plots to the various church denominations and allow visits.

'The Halo Trust has reached a pivotal point in our work to clear the baptism site of landmines and other remnants of war,' the charity's CEO James Cowan said in a statement.

He added that 'we have completed clearance of the Ethiopian, Greek and Franciscan churches.' 

The Franciscan church at Qasr al Yahud baptism site is seen for the first time since 1967 during a combined operation of the Israeli sapper landmine authority and the HALO Trust organisation

The site is home to different church denominations, and access to the church plots and surroundings has been restricted since 1967

Three churches on the Qasr al Yahud baptism site were cleared of mines and there are four still to go. Defense Ministry officials expect to find approximately three thousand targets, consisting of anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines, and other explosive remnants of war

A sapper landmine clearance personal belonging to the HALO Trust, walks during demining efforts next to an abandoned church at Qasr al Yahud baptism site

The World’s Oldest Person Revealed The Diet That Was The Secret To Her Unusually Long Life

As we grow older, our diets and daily routines come into sharper focus for a variety of reasons. Emma Morano could certainly attest to that, as she was named the World’s Oldest Person in May 2016 by Guinness World Records. And before her death in April 2017 at the age of 117, she revealed the diet that had played a key role in her long life.

Coming into the world on November 29, 1899, Emma was the first of eight children. She and her siblings grew up in Vercelli, Piedmont, in northern Italy. As she got older, though, the Italian soon moved to Verbania, a town located on the shore of Lake Maggiore. From there, her extraordinary life of incredible ups and devastating downs unfolded.

Emma found love at a relatively young age, becoming engaged to a man who was eventually called to the front in the First World War. Tragically, though, he never returned, with Emma assuming that he had been killed. With that pain and heartbreak still fresh in her mind, Emma’s life then took a significant turn in the aftermath of the war.

After a visit to her doctor, the Italian received a diagnosis of anemia, which subsequently forced her to change her daily diet. As a result, Emma limited herself to three eggs (one cooked, two raw) each day for the next 90 years of her life, alongside fresh Italian pasta and a side portion of raw meat. Incredibly, fruit and vegetables rarely appeared on her strict personal menu.

“When I met her, she ate three eggs per day, two raw in the morning and then an omelette at noon, and chicken at dinner,” Carlos Bava, Emma’s doctor of 27 years, told AFP news agency. Despite her upturn in health, though, the Italian’s life changed forever in 1926.

That year Emma got married, although sadly it proved to be an abusive relationship and culminated in tragedy. Indeed, in 1937 she gave birth to a baby boy, but he passed away only six months into his life. Grief-stricken, the Italian then decided to leave her husband in 1938, although they stayed married until his death 40 years later.

However, when speaking to Italian newspaper La Stampa in 2011, Emma revealed that her future partner had blackmailed her into the marriage. “He told me, ‘If you’re lucky you marry me, or I’ll kill you,’” she recalled. “I was 26 years old. I got married.”

Although their toxic relationship finally ended, Emma chose not to marry again, citing her determination to remain independent. “I didn’t want to be dominated by anyone,” the centenarian told The New York Times in February 2015. Happily, then, she continued to live a long and rewarding life.

Emma’s career had varied between working in a jute sacking factory and becoming a boarding-school cook. She announced her retirement from the latter when she turned 75. Unfortunately, though, as the Italian continued to grow older, her friends passed away, while her sight and hearing also worsened.

Despite those cruel changes in her life, however, Emma’s diet remained the same. And that diet is likely to have helped the Italian live well past 100. In addition to her diet, though, genetics also potentially played a role in Emma’s longevity. You see, the centenarian’s mother lived to 91, while her sister Angela Morano died at the age of 102. However, in the opinion of Doctor Valter D. Longo – director of the University of Southern California’s Longevity Institute – there is not one specific reason for long life.

“You talk to 100 centenarians, you get 100 different stories,” Dr. Longo told The New York Times in February 2015. “We do know that the ability to make it to 110 is heritable, so you have a large increase in chance if you have several people in your family to live to a late age.” As the years continued to pass, records subsequently came into view for the Italian.

After Maria Redaelli died in 2013, Emma was named the oldest living person in Italy and Europe. And just three years later, she reached the most high profile of landmarks. Yes, in May 2016 Emma was believed to be the last-known living person born in the 19th century, earning her a visit from Guinness World Records.

Emma was named both the World’s Oldest Living Person and the World’s Oldest Living Woman at that time. Yet despite her newfound fame, the Italian’s strict diet needed slight changes as a result of the advancing years. Emma’s niece, Rosemarie Santoni, then, would travel to her home each morning to make her meals.

Rosemarie acted as Emma’s primary carer, and she produced a menu that consisted of two eggs, soupy pasta, ground meat and one banana. Indeed, while the centenarian’s social circle had become smaller in her later years, she still had friends and family in her hometown.

That growing bond with the community culminated at Emma’s 117th birthday. In fact, the party even hosted a concert celebrating the Italian’s long life, spanning an incredible three centuries. Within a few months, though, some very sad news emerged.

On April 15, 2017, Emma’s caretaker told Dr. Bava that she’d died in her armchair, just 24 hours after he had last seen her. “She thanked me and held my hand,” he told The Guardian of his final meeting with the centenarian.

However, despite her death, Emma’s life won’t be forgotten in Verbania for some time yet. Indeed, the Italian’s remarkable story provoked the creation of a musical show in her hometown. For Guinness World Records, though, the news of her passing prompted a heartfelt public statement.

“It is with deep regret and great sympathy that Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking, has learnt of Emma Morano’s passing,” a spokesperson of the organisation read. “She joined our celebrated hall of fame with her amazing achievement when she was announced in 2016 as the oldest living female, and was officially confirmed as the last person to be born in the 1800s.”

“Guinness World Records is consulting with our expert Gerontologists and will verify the new title holder, subject to evidence review, in due course,” they concluded. Incredibly, Emma was still five years younger than the woman who claimed the title of World’s Oldest Person Ever. Her name was Jeanne Louise Calment, and she lived to 122 years old.

But while we may all wish to live long and prosperous lives, few can reach the age of Emma Morano. Remarkably, hers was a life spanning three centuries, taking in two world wars and countless societal changes. Emma’s curious diet, though, suggests there could be more centenarians in the not too distant future.