Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Around Mt Nebo
KHIRBET MUKHAYYAT
The village of Khirbet Mukhayyat marks the original site of ancient Nebo village, as men-
tioned on the 9th-century BC Mesha Stele ( Click here ) and in the Bible. Near the village,
the Church of SS Lot & Procopius , originally built in AD 557, houses a remarkable mo-
saic with scenes of daily life such as agriculture, fishing and winemaking (the cutting and
carrying of grapes). Sadly, the mosaics have been damaged by rainwater in recent years
and the church remains closed for restoration.
The turn-off to Khirbet Mukhayyat is signposted 'Al-Makhyt', about 6km from Madaba
and 3km before reaching the church complex at Mt Nebo. A good road leads 2.5km along
the edge of the village to a car park surrounded by juniper trees. There is no public trans-
port.
AYOUN ('AIN) MUSA
Ayoun Musa (Spring of Moses) is one of two places where the prophet is believed to have
obtained water by striking a rock (see also Click here ) . Six giant eucalyptus trees mark the
spot and there's an occasional waterfall over the lip of the rocks if it's been raining. The
littered site is disfigured by discarded concrete buildings and there's little to see except the
low-lying ruins of a couple of churches nearby.
To reach the site, turn right at the sign about 1km before the church at Mt Nebo. A
2.4km switchback road to Ayoun Musa is steep (but sealed) and it offers a close-up view
of Bedouin encampments, hunkered down against the elements. Arums grow in abund-
ance among the rocky patches of tilled ground, and small, fertile wadis bristle with citrus
and olive trees.
There is no public transport to the site. Walking down from the main road is easy; com-
ing back is a killer.
HESBAN
Amateur archaeologists will like Tell Hesban (admission free; daylight hr) , 9km north
of Madaba. Over the centuries this strategic hill has been a Bronze Age settlement, an
Amorite capital (900-500 BC), a Hellenistic fortress (198-63 BC), a Roman settlement
called Esbus (63 BC-AD 350), a Byzantine ecclesiastical centre (AD 350-650), an
Umayyad market town (650-750), a regional capital of the Abbasids (750-1260) and
Mamluks (1260-1500) and, finally, an Ottoman village. All these layers of history are on
view, albeit faintly.
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