Mount Nebo

Today will be a driving tour from Madaba. First stop out of Madaba was the pilgrimage site of Mt. Nebo.

According to the Bible, Moses ascended Mount Nebo, and from there he saw the Promised Land. Moses died there, and his burial place is nearby, but the exact location is unknown. A monument atop Mount Nebo commemorates Moses' death after seeing Canaan, across the Jordan valley. Mount Nebo is then mentioned again in the Bible when the prophet Jeremiah hid the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant in a cave there.

A Christian church from Byzantine times stands on the top of Mount Nebo. There is a very interesting mosaic there.

In 2000, Pope John Paul II visited the summit of Mount Nebo during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. During his visit, he planted an olive tree next to the Byzantine chapel, as a symbol of peace.

A serpentine cross sculpture atop Mount Nebo was created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the miracle of the bronze serpent invoked by Moses in the wilderness and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.

The views are very dramatic, but the skies were very hazy, so much of the effect is lost, but it is something to contemplate the historical significance of the site.Read more