Mount Nebo
Jordan · Madaba · 800 m
Description
Mount Nebo (جبل نيبو) is the ridge from which Moses is said to have been shown the Promised Land before his death. The summit at Siyagha rises to a little over eight hundred metres, and on a clear day the view reaches across the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea, Jericho and the hills around Jerusalem. A modern shelter protects the Moses Memorial Church, whose sixth-century mosaic floor is among the finest in Jordan and shows hunters, herdsmen and an improbable mix of animals. Outside stands the Brazen Serpent, a tall wrought-iron cross by the sculptor Giovanni Fantoni that combines the serpent of Moses with the crucifixion. The site is a working pilgrimage destination and has been visited by several popes. Visibility is the whole point here, so mornings and the clear air after winter rain are far better than the summer haze.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: March – April or October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Moses Memorial Church
- Panoramic Viewpoint over the Promised Land
- Brazen Serpent Monument
- Byzantine Mosaic Floor of the Diakonikon Baptistery
- Mosaics of the Old Baptistery and the Theotokos Chapel
- Abu Badd Rolling Stone
- Monolith of the 2000 Jubilee
- Olive Tree Planted by Pope John Paul II
- Siyagha Monastery Remains and Rock-Cut Tombs
- Springs of Moses (Ayoun Musa)
- Khirbet al-Mukhayyat with the Church of St George and the Church of Sts Lot and Procopius
- Mosaic Workshops on the Road to Mount Nebo