jordan day 3: mount nebo

(from wikipedia) Mount Nebo (Arabic: جبل نيبو‎, Jabal Nibu. Hebrew: הַר נְבוֹ‎, Har Nevo, ) is an elevated ridge in Jordan, approximately 817 meters (2680 feet)above sea level, mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the Promised Land that he would never enter. The view from the summit provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north, a more limited one of the valley of the River Jordan. The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible from the summit, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day.

the stone commemorating pope john paul II's visit in year 2000

just fooling around...

the brazen serpent 

the sculpture of the brazen serpent, which has become a symbol for mount nebo, is a modern replica of the biblical brazen serpent. during the exodus journey, god sent a plague to kill the rebellious israelites. god also instructed moses to erect a bronze serpent on a pole to stop the plague and all who looked up at the raised serpent survived the plague. thus the curative serpent around the staff became the symbol of pharmacies until today.

viewing platform erected for pope john paul II

if you stand on this platform, you can enjoy the panoramic scene that moses apparently saw more than 3000 years ago. and if you're lucky and the weather permits, you will be able to see the dead sea and several cities on the west bank of jordan river. at sunrise, even the streets can be visible and by sunset, you can also enjoy an amazing view as the sun sinks behind the mountains of jerusalem.

 the panoramic view...

then moses climbed mount nebo from the plains of moab to the top of pisgah, across from jericho. there, the lord showed him the whole land. then the lord said to him, "this is the land i promised on oath to abraham, isaac and jacob when i said, 'i will give it to your descendants'. i have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

and moses the servant of the lord died there in moab, as the lord had said. he buried him in moab, in the valley opposite beth peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. --deuteronomy 34:1-6

 on our way to our next destination, we saw many bedouin camps around. some of them have brick houses, but as they love the outdoors so much, they'll still have tents as well and would live in the tents when the weather is good.

day 3 to be continued...