Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting Around
The walk from the bus station to the centre of town is quite a hike with bags but taxis
(costing around JD1) are plentiful. If you are driving, note that it is not possible to park
outside some of the cheaper hotels as they are on busy, narrow streets.
Mt Nebo
Go up unto…Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am
giving the Israelites as their own possession. There on the mountain that you have climbed
you will die.
Deuteronomy 32:49-50
Mt Nebo
(admission JD1; 8am-4pm Oct-Apr, to 6pm May-Sep)
is where Moses is said
to have seen the Promised Land, a land he was himself forbidden to enter. He died (al-
legedly aged 120) and was later buried in the area, although the exact location of the buri-
al site is the subject of conjecture. The site flickered briefly into the international spotlight
with the visit of Pope John Paul II in 2000.
The Mt Nebo region features several rocky outcrops, including Siyagha (the local name
of the site, meaning 'monastery'). This is where you will find the Moses Memorial
Church. It's a pleasant side trip from Madaba, just 9km away, and the mosaics are magni-
ficent (unfortunately, they're closed for renovation until 2014). Aside from its religious
significance, Mt Nebo commands sweeping views of the ancient lands of Gilead, Judah,
Jericho and the Negev - the Promised Land.
History
A Roman nun, Etheria, stumbled across the original three-apsed church on this site during
a pilgrimage in AD 393. A nave was added in the 5th century, the first baptistery chapel
(with the mosaic) in 530, and the main basilica in 597, together with a large monastery.
By this time Nebo had grown into an important pilgrimage site, even earning a signpost
off the main Roman road through the region (a Roman mile marker lies in the museum).
Pilgrims would travel to Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethany, Ayoun Musa and Mt Nebo, before
descending to Hammamat Ma'in for post-pilgrimage bathing.
The church was abandoned by the 16th century and only relocated in the 20th century,
using 4th- and 5th-century pilgrim travelogues. The Franciscans bought the site in 1932
and have excavated most of the ruins of the church and the monastery, as well as recon-
structing much of the basilica.
