Bob Kirkham and I flew out to Amman, Jordan, via Paris, on Monday 11th October 2010, in preparation for hooking up with an organised trek to Petra. We met most of our fellow hikers at breakfast and soon boarded a small coach to travel with Yamaan Safady, our leader/guide, heading for Mount Nebo, as we did a gentle introduction to Jordan and some of its history. So, as well as Bob and I, there was Alan & Kelsey Guerin, (from Guernsey), Louise Frost, (Shrewsbury), Simon Smith, (Colchester), Mave Green, (Nottingham), Jan Wheatley, (London). We were joined on Day 5 by Xavier Lifran, (Grenoble, France), Herbert Ten Have and Sabine Neliss, (Utrecht, The Netherlands).
Mount Nebo, in Arabic = جبل نيبو, or Jabal Nibu. In Hebrew it is הַר נְבוֹ or Har Nevo, was surprisingly interestingly and moving. Its an elevated ridge approximately 2,700 feet above sea level, in western Jordan.
The summit allowed a panoramic view of part of the Holy Land. To the north, the valley of the River Jordan. To the west we could see the West Bank and ancient city of Jericho, as well as Jerusalem; it was a very clear day! (see photo left), which was about 25 miles away. On the highest point of the mountain, is Syagha,, where a Byzantine basilica church now stands on the spot that some believe covers Moses' grave, and commands stunning views over the Jordan Valley. There is a friary too, built in 1932 by the Custody of the Holy Land, (the Franciscans), to house members of the archaeological expedition of the Studium Bibliographic Franciscanum of Jerusalem while they undertook excavations at the Siyagha ruins, a project which got under way in the summer of 1933. They had traced the Exodus path of the Jews led by Moses - using the Bible - and therefore concluded that this was the site from which Moses saw the Promised Land. (Not promised - according to Yamaan!).
Excavations have revealed some amazing mosaics, and the church played host to a poignant visit by the Pope on his recent tour of the region.
According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where the Hebrew prophet Moses was given a view of the promised land that God was giving to the Israelites. "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho." (Deuteronomy 34:1).
According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Moses was buried on this mountain by God Himself, and his final resting place is unknown (though I recall - and since have found this "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho.
And the Lord shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day." - from Deuteronomy 34 King James Version, Cambridge Edition
Atop of the mountain there is a serpentine cross sculpture, (the Brazen Serpent Monument), created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14). After visiting Mt. Nebo we rejoined the 5,000-year old King's Highway that links Amman to the south of the country and drove south to the Crusader Castle of Kerak and as we approached the castle of Kerak it was immediately obvious why all the armies involved in the crusader conflicts wanted control of this bastion. Kerak represents the best aspects of both crusader and Islamic military architecture, as the Mamlukes refined the original structure built by the Christian knights. Inside stone-vaulted halls and chambers, both above and below ground, beg to be explored, and echo now to the quiet commentary of guides rather than the harsh cries of war that once resounded through Kerak.
From we again drove south on the King's Highway to Feynan Lodge, in Dana National Park - our overnight stop and starting point for the trek.
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