Over its upper course (fed by the Hasbani River, Banias River, Dan River, and the Iyyon Stream), the river drops rapidly in a 75-kilometre (47 mi) run to the once large and swampy Lake Hula, which is slightly above sea level. In traditional terminology, the upper course (or most of it) is commonly referred to as passing through the " Hula Valley", as opposed to "Upper Jordan Valley" the Sea of Galilee through which the river passes is a separate entity and the term Jordan Valley is reserved for the lower course, fed by the Yarmouk and Zarqa Rivers. The Jordan River has an upper course from its sources to the Sea of Galilee (via the Bethsaida Valley), and a lower course south of the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea. 5.3 Bridges (historical modern - open and closed).
According to the Bible, the Israelites crossed it into the Promised Land and Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist in it. The river holds major significance in Judaism and Christianity. Both Jordan and the West Bank take their names from the river. Jordan and the Golan Heights border the river to the east, while the West Bank and Israel lie to its west. The Jordan River or River Jordan ( Arabic: نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, Nahr al-Urdunn, Hebrew: נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, Nahar ha-Yarden Classical Syriac: ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ), also known as Nahr Al Sharieat ( Arabic: نهر الشريعة), is a 251-kilometre-long (156 mi) river in the Middle East that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee (Hebrew: כנרת Kinneret, Arabic: Bohayrat Tabaraya, meaning Lake of Tiberias) and on to the Dead Sea. Banias River, Dan River, Yarmouk River, Zarqa River