Mount Nebo

Last minute trips are the best. You get all the excitement of going on vacation but without having to wait to actually leave. Ben had an unexpected three day weekend in Jordan and I was able to fly out to join him for his long weekend. It was especially fortuitous because this three day weekend just happened to be over my 27th birthday! Party all around. My first full day there we decided to take it easy and drive to Mt. Nebo, which is only a 30 minute drive from the hotel we were staying at.  Even though it is called a mountain it is not like the mountains in Utah. We were able to drive right to the top and have a great view of the Holy Land.

The view towards The Holy Land. 

Anciently people lived around Mt. Nebo from the second century B.C. until the 9th century A.D. After Moses's time there were several churches built on the site and there are astoundingly still beautiful mosaics left over from the sixth and seventh century A.D. churches. 

Here is the view of the promise land that Moses would have seen from the top of Mount Nebo. On a clear day you can see the 30 miles to Jerusalem, but it was hazy and we could only see as far as Jerico.  We could clearly see the River Jordan, The Dead Sea, and just over the border to Israel. 

A little map showing sites of interest in relation to Mt. Nebo.  

 Nap time. It was a hot day and there was a cute little dog taking a nap in some of the only shade in the area. 

 There was a large tent at the site used to display some of the mosaics and give a history of the area. I was equally impressed with the outside of the tent. The entire tent was hand stitched together. It would have taken a LONG time to make. 

 This ancient stone was used as a fortified door of a Byzantine monastery. Ben correctly noted that people seemed to use rolling stones a lot in ancient times to seal things. 

The view looking up towards to the top of Mt. Nebo. 

The view a little lower down on the mountain toward the Holy Land.

Rock formations on the side of the road.

 There was a bedouin man walking his camels on our way back from Mt. Nebo. He had a large heard of them and they were just grazing on the side of the road. There were even a few baby camels in the group. 

 This is a typical Jordanian Village you will see on the side of the road. There are definitely very wealthy people in Jordan who live in modern houses, but the majority of the population in not wealthy and live in small homes like these. These people are not bedouin however, the bedouin's still live a more nomadic life living in tents.