We didn’t travel to Mount Nebo on a religious pilgrimage, we came as it was one of the sites scheduled on our week long tour of Jordan. I admit I was a bit confused at first and wasn’t sure as to what I was looking at and what the experience would be.

A guide was not included here because it was a small site, easy to explore on your own.

The majority of the tourists were religious groups on pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

From what I was able to understand at the site is this:

And afterward what I read online about Mount Nebo while writing this blog:

• Moses was a prophet for the Christian, Jewish and Islam religions.
• The Holy Land in terms of Christianity are locations within the Old and New Testament; Israel being the place where Jesus was born, ministered his teachings, was crucified, and resurrected.
• The Promised Land in terms of Judaism is the land given by God to Abraham and his descendants – the Homeland for the Jewish People
• The Holy Land in terms of Islam is where Moses proclaimed to the Children of Israel that this is the land Allah has assigned to you.
• According to the Hebrew Bible, Mount Nebo is the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land – the land of Milk and Honey – the land given by God to Abraham and his descendants.
• Moses could view the Holy Land, and God said he would not enter – I’m not sure what that means?
• The Holy Land is today’s Israel, Palestine, western Jordan, parts of southern Lebanon, and southwest Syria.
• Moses climbed Mount Nebo to view the Land of Canaan (present day Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Israel)
• Mount Nebo is where Moses was buried – however, the exact location is not known

It seems the significance of Mount Nebo and Moses depends on your religious belief.

However, that said whether you’re religious or not – the story of Moses is basically known by everyone thanks to Hollywood!

Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments

Disney’s Prince of Egypt

Hazrat Muza Moses

Let me backtrack a bit…to the pre-arrival – the drive to Mount Nebo from the Madaba Map. The countryside was so beautiful!

This small monument is at the entrance of the site.

Sights while walking up the path towards the plateau of Mount Nebo with the museum, view of the Holy Land and Moses Memorial Church.

This view is looking north, towards Amman.

Walking towards the museum is this mosaic flooring. It is partitioned off, you can’t walk on it.  It does not have a sign, describing its history.

Walking towards the museum entrance. The building in the picture is not the museum, I’m not sure what it was for?

Inside the museum.

This young man is the the only staff member in the museum! I had to take his pictures as his look is so striking!

Inside the museum.

As well as artifacts and mosaics in the museum, there is signage of Pope John Paul II visit to Mount Nebo during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2000.

This is the view when leaving the museum and walking along the back of the church to the north ledge that brings you to the west ledge.

The west ledge is the view of the Holy Land.

View from Jericho to the Dead Sea:

This serpentine cross dedicated to Moses was almost impossible to get a picture of without people crawling around it and next to it!  One woman and I had to ask a large group of pilgrims to wait for just a moment while we took pictures of the cross while it was free of people!

One of many olive trees on the plateau!

But this olive tree was planted by Pope John Paul II!

The Moses Memorial Church. This houses some of the best mosaics in Jordan, dating back to 530. It has been recently renovated and built around 4th century foundations of a Byzantine church.

Inside the church, a mass was happening.

While tourists toured the church and viewed the mosaics!

I unknowingly switched the setting of my camera to black and white…

Then realized while looking at the most important mosaic in the church! The hunting and herding scene!

Back outside, walking along the south side of the church and back to the path that leads to the entrance of the site.

Nuns, a priest and a Bedouin!

The trip to Jordan was booked mainly for Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. I hadn’t given any thought that we were visiting a country that is part of the Holy Land.

The Holy Land and Promised Land, where Christianity and Judaism began.

The experience here was unique in that many of the tourists were devout Christians – some even so much as standing before the large serpentine cross dedicated to Moses and having themselves videoed by friends while speaking loudly and passionately of their faith!

S, 🙂