It was cloudy, but there was enough visibility to see Israel from Mount Nebo. We also saw, off in the distance, the pace where it is believed Moses struck the rock with his staff to bring forth water for the Israelites. Because of Moses' disobedience to God, he is consigned to never enter the Promised Land. It is believed that, although his tomb has never been found, that Moses died on Mount Nebo.
We could barely see Jericho, and it was too cloudy to see Jerusalem from the top of the 2,330 foot high summit. It would have been great for it to be a clear day, but we still could see a lot.
(I know, I know -- especially you westerners -- "2330 feet doesn't deserve to be called a mountain. In the West, 2,330 would barely be called a foothill!" Only 13 of the 50 states have their "highest" peak smaller than 2,330. I suppose it's all a matter of perspective, as those who named it "Mount" did so because it was taller than anything around. Lighten up Francis!).
There is a Christian Church on top of Mount Nebo, and the area is owned and overseen by Franciscans. Bedouins work there. The church floor is from a Byzantine church from the 4th Century AD, but the current Memorial Church of Moses is modern, and looks like any crappy church finished this century.
One of the highlights of Mount Nebo is a cool sculpture dedicated to Pope John Paul II's visit, as well as an olive tree that Pope JPJ II planted on his visit in 2000.
Inside the church are wonderful old mosaics on the walls and floors.
After that, it was back on the bus to head to Amman.
Mosaic wall selfie.
Me and a mosaic.
The famed hunting and herding mosaic
of Mount Nebo dates from 531 AD. It's
located in the Diakonikon Baptistery.
The mosaic is a large square divided into four strips of scenes of men and animals, surrounded by a chain-style border. The top two sections depict fierce hunting scenes: a shepherd fighting a lion, a soldier fighting a lioness, and two horseback hunters defeating a bear and wild boar.
The lower scenes are pastoral but with a touch of the exotic: a shepherd watching his goat and sheep graze in the shade of trees; an ostrich on a leash held by a dark-skinned man; and a boy holding the leashes of a zebra and a spotted animal that looks very much like a camel but might be intended to represent a giraffe.
Cool statue in honor
of Pope John Paul II's
2000 visit to Mount Nebo.
One of the faces on the sculpture.
A monument to Moses.
Views of the land between
Mount Nebo and Amman.
This large tree grows at the spot
believed to be where Moses
struck the rock to bring
water. This might not
actually be it, but I'm
going with it.
From a website:
The sculpture of a Nehushtan (Brazen Serpent), is the sarpentine cross that stands on the terrace of Mount Nebo was created by the Italian artist Fian Paolo Fantoni. It recalls the bronze serpent on a pole which God told Moses to erect to protect his people from the poisonous snakes that God himself had sent as punishment. It was enough to look at the bronze serpent erected by prophet Moses in order to be healed and saved. It represents the medical profession as well.
The mosaic in full.
Various scenes from the
mosaic. Amazing stuff.
Another pic of the mosaic,
from above/the side.
Olive tree planted by
Pope John Paul II
in the year 2000.
From the small museum on Mount Nebo.
I can't read it -- it's all Greek to me.
After a short drive away from Mount Nebo, we stopped at a mosaic artisans center were locals learn to make mosaics. The mosaics were quite well done, but none of the group bought anything. Watching the artisans work is impressive, but we don't really have space to put a mosaic table in the house -- or even in our back yard. I felt bad for the artisans, but there was nothing that called to us.
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