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"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top
of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And The Lord showed him all the
land . . . " (Deuteronomy).
Located near Madaba, south of Amman, is Mount Nebo, the place where God
is reputed to have shown Moses "the promised land". It was from
here that the Israelites went to find their home after 40 years of wandering,
though Moses himself was destined to die before he could make the journey.
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Moses is thought to be buried near Mount Nebo, though no evidence of this
has been found. Even for the unbeliever, this is a supremely quiet and calm location
with stunning views of rugged countryside with the Dead Sea and the West
Bank beyond. It is easy to feel you have arrived somewhere quite special.
The site of the memorial itself involves a short walk, as vehicles are
not permitted. Apart from the amazing view there is a small church with
mosaics, the largest and best known depicting various types of aminals
and a striking bronze sculpture.
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Our guide shows us Mount Nebo on a satellite image |
The outside of the pretty Moses Memorial Church |
A striking bronze monument stands outside the church
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The view is just breathtaking. The Dead Sea can
be seen in the middle of the picture with "the promised land"
in the haze beyond it |
Inside the Moses Memorial Church and . . .
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. . . the best of the mosaics on display |
Modern mosaics
A stone's throw from the Moses Memorial is a workshop where mosaics are
made, and a large display area where they are sold, together with textiles
and other craftwork.We were given a short demonstration of how mosaics are made nowadays,
and an explanation of the amount of work that went into the most detailed
of them (presumably to justify the rather high prices, compared to the
poorer quality mosaics available elsewhere). A high proportion of disabled
people were employed in the workshop.
As always in the Arab world, a cup of tea or coffee was offered. If you
have the money, this shop has the most exquisite craft offerings, which
they will ship for you if you want avoid the need to pack large items.
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Jordan 
