Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
face. The views from its
terraces are breathtaking. The
monastery dates back to the
12th century and is supposedly
built around the grotto where
the Devil appeared to tempt
Jesus away from his 40-day
fast (Matthew 4: 1-11).
Hisham's Palace
(Qasr
Hisham) is an early Islamic
hunting lodge built in AD
724 for the Omayyad caliph
Hisham. It lies in ruins, de-
stroyed centuries ago by an
earthquake, but it is worth
a visit if only for a gorgeous
floor mosaic depicting a lion
hunting gazelles grazing
under a broad leafy tree.
T
Tel Jericho
#
daily.
& 8
R
Monastery of the
Temptation
Tel
(02) 232 2827.
l
Nebi Musa, regarded by Muslims as the burial place of Moses
structures of the present day
date from around 1820 and
the days of Ottoman rule. The
disputed cenotaph of Moses,
covered with a traditional
Islamic green drape, occupies
the spartan, domed tomb
chamber of the mosque.
Although the five-day
festival of feasting and prayer
that used to occur here each
year now no longer happens,
many Muslims still desire to
be laid to rest in the large
cemetery that covers the
hills around the complex.
the 5th century on by hermits
seeking an austere life of
solitude and prayer. This
particular monastery was
founded in AD 482 by St
Saba, a monk born in
Cappadocia, Turkey, whose
preachings were said to have
impressed the Byzantine
emperor Justinian. Despite a
massacre of the monks by the
Persians in the 7th century
(the skulls are preserved in a
chapel), the monastery
survived to bloom in the 8th
and 9th centuries, when its
thick defensive walls housed
up to 200 devotees.
Although only around 20
monks now live in Mar Saba,
it remains a functioning desert
monastery. As seen today,
topped by bright blue domes,
the complex largely dates to
1834, when it was rebuilt
following a major earthquake.
An ornate canopy in the
monastery's main church
supposedly shelters the
remains of St Saba, which
were returned to the Holy
Land only in 1965
having being carried
off by the Crusaders
and kept in Venice
for seven centuries.
The church walls are
hung with icons and a
lurid fresco depicting
Judgment Day.
Unfortunately,
women are not
allowed to enter
the monastery, but
the views of Mar Saba
from a neighbouring
tower (which women
are permitted to
climb) are alone
worth the trouble of
a visit.
#
Mon-Sat.
7
T
Hisham's Palace
Tel
(02) 232 2522.
l
#
daily.
&
Nebi Musa
3
Road map
C4. Route 1, 10 km
(6 miles) S of Jericho.
@
to Jericho,
then taxi.
7
Mar Saba
Monastery
4
Road map
C4. Off Route 398, 17 km
(11 miles) E of Bethlehem.
Tel
(02)
l
277 3135.
@
Bethlehem, then taxi.
#
8am-5pm daily. Ring bell. No
women allowed.
Although the claim is heavily
disputed, Muslims revere the
desert monastery of Nebi
Musa as the burial place of
Moses. There has been a
mosque on the site since
1269, built under the patron-
age of the Mameluke emir
Baybars. In 1470-80 a two-
storey hospice was added
to accommodate visiting
pilgrims. However, the
attractive whitewashed
Located out in the wilds
of the Judaean desert, Mar
Saba is one of the dozens of
retreats built in this area from
The distinctive blue domes of the gorge-top monastery of Mar Saba
