"Mount Nebo" Top 5 Page for this destination Madaba Off The Beaten Path Tip by antistar

"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho."

This is a place of huge religious significance, to both Christianity and Judaism. The Bible describes this as the place where Moses first saw the Promised Land. It is also believed that God buried Moses here on this very mountain. There's still some controversy as to whether this really is the place described in the Bible, but recent excavations of a 4th Byzantine church marking this place as exactly that suggests it almost certainly is.

The church has been rebuilt on top of the remains of the unearthed one, and inside the new walls you will find similar mosaics on the floor to those of nearby Madaba.

The Pope also visited here in 2000 to mark the importance of this site to Christians.

In addition to the historical significance, the views from the top of the mountain are magnificent. On a good day you really can see all the way to the Holy Land. With luck, places like Jericho, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea are all visible from here.

To get here you can either book a taxi, which costs 25 JD if you book it together with a trip to Bethany and the Dead Sea, which is very much advised. If you want to travel more cheaply, there is a regular bus running from Madaba for a quarter of a dinar.