This morning we left Amman for our trek to Petra, first stopping at Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo is west of Madaba (Southwest of Amman) and known as Pisgah in the Bible. It is where the Bible says Moses lived out his remaining days and viewed the Promised Land. The view from here is amazing. Looking west we could see the shore of the Dead Sea and on really clear days it is said you can see Jerusalem and Jericho. There are two peaks on Mount Nebo - Siyagha and al-Mukhayyat. The modern-day shrine atop Siyagha houses the remains of AMAZING mosaics from the third or fourth century CE. Outside the building is a Serpentine Cross which represents the bronze serpent taken up by Moses in the desert, as well as the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.
Upon leaving Mount Nebo, we visited an extremely old mosaic floor from the Church of Sts. Lot and Procopius in Kherbat al Mukhayyat (ancient name for the town of Nebo). It is a mosaic of grape collecting and wine making and is estimated to be 560 years. It was uncovered by a family living directly on top of it. In fact, part of the mosaic has evidence of extreme heat damage - it was the portion directly under the family's oven.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we walked to Church of St. George in the middle of Madaba ti see the most famous mosaic floor. The Mosaic Map of Palestine represents the Holy Land and the surrounding regions (there was even a portion near one of the pews of Lebanon). Clearly seen on the mosaic are al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dead Sea the Jordan River, Nablus, Al-Khalil (Hebron), Arica (Jericho), Egypt and the Nile River, Turkey and Lebanon. It was made around 560 CE and originally had over 2.3 million pieces.
Part of map that represents Lebanon
The last stop before finishing our trip to Wadi Musa was at Karnak Castle. It lies on the ancient caravan routes that used to connect Egypt to Syria and its position almost 1000 meters above the Dead Sea Valley made it an asset of great importance. It is recorded that the Crusader King Baldwin I of Jerusalem had the castle built in 1132 CE. It was interesting but not jaw dropping. I braved it and climbed to the second tier.
The remainder of the day was traveling to Wadi Musa to see Petra tomorrow. Hope some of the information is interesting.
Upon leaving Mount Nebo, we visited an extremely old mosaic floor from the Church of Sts. Lot and Procopius in Kherbat al Mukhayyat (ancient name for the town of Nebo). It is a mosaic of grape collecting and wine making and is estimated to be 560 years. It was uncovered by a family living directly on top of it. In fact, part of the mosaic has evidence of extreme heat damage - it was the portion directly under the family's oven.
After lunch at a local restaurant, we walked to Church of St. George in the middle of Madaba ti see the most famous mosaic floor. The Mosaic Map of Palestine represents the Holy Land and the surrounding regions (there was even a portion near one of the pews of Lebanon). Clearly seen on the mosaic are al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dead Sea the Jordan River, Nablus, Al-Khalil (Hebron), Arica (Jericho), Egypt and the Nile River, Turkey and Lebanon. It was made around 560 CE and originally had over 2.3 million pieces.
Part of map that represents Lebanon
