Jordan: The King's Highway from Amman to Petra

  9/29/2023 - On the road to Petra...            Mount Nebo and Madaba

4,000 feet high on a Moab mountain, on the east side of the Jordan River and opposite Jericho, Mount Nebo is believed to be where Moses gazed upon the Holy Land that he was not meant to reach and where his tomb is located. 

Just steps from the entrance is the Vincenzo Bianchi sculpture commemorating Pope John Paul II's visit in 2000. 

Moses memorial.

Near the church is the wire sculpture and quotation, "Just as Moses Lifted up the Serpent in the Desert, the Son of Man Must be Lifted up, So that Everyone Who Believes in Him May Have Eternal Life." (John 3:14-15)

Mosaic Floor of the Diakonikon (530 AD)

Our last stop before lunch was a mosaic Community Development Institute affiliated with the Queen Noor Foundation. Their work was amazing, and their store was huge!

Lunch at Haret Jdoudna in Madaba, a city born 5,000 years ago,

famous for its mosaics and its 6th-century cartographic map,

the oldest depiction of the Holy Land.

Shobak Castle, an enchanting castle built in 1115 

under the rule of King Baldwin I, is particularly striking 

due to its remote location in the desert. Visitors can explore the churches, historic ruins, and a secret passageway that leads to a charming spring within the castle grounds. The castle also boasts a watchtower, catacombs, Christian carvings, and Islamic tablets.