Holy Moses! Mount Nebo in Jordan

Well, for those familiar with the Bible it is hard to go to Jordan without stopping here. Even for the non-believers, this is a place of historical significance simply because of the significance Bible events have had on the western civilization. Besides, it's a unique drive up a very arid and desert mountain.

For those not familiar, Moses was at the top of this mountain when he died. His earlier sin of striking a rock to bring forth water rather than giving God the glory and doing it the way God had instructed, was punished by a personal ban from entering the Promised Land of Israel. After leading the Israelites for 40 years through the barren desert of the Sinai Peninsula, his end would be met by a taunting view of their destination land from the top of Mt Nebo. His death is now memorialized here. Jordan is not predominantly a Christian nation, but they know how to cash in on a profitable Christian site.

Mt. Nebo stands at just over 2,000 feet (700 meters) in elevation. Those of us that grew up near mountains would call this more of a hill or ridge than an actual mountain. But if you live in the flatlands I guess this qualifies.

If the sky is clear it is possible to see as far as Jerusalem, however, bring your binoculars! I couldn't make out what was what from my viewpoint but the view was a bit hazy.

Join me in my self drive to the top:

Approaching Mt Nebo. You can see how desolate the land is here. But the road was in great shape.

I don't mind driving this but I would not want to have been one of the million+ Israelites to have been in this area when Moses climbed it. I assume over a million because we're told 601,730 men entered the Promised Land. I expect you can more than double that adding the unnumbered women and children.

Continuing up the mountain;

I encountered these small settlements along the way. What an interesting place to live. But I expect it must get quite boring here after awhile.

Can you imagine being a child growing up here?

Continuing to the top:

A look back to where I've been from a scenic pullout:

I can see the top now!

I made it! Now I'll share my views from the top:

Looks like the kind of stone I pictured in my mind that was placed over the cave tomb where Jesus was buried.

Now you've seen the highlights of my trip to the top of Mt Nebo. I think the actual sites never meet our expectations. I was picturing a higher mountain with a good view of the Jordan River. Perhaps 2,000 years ago when the river was more prominent that was the case. But today I couldn't even make it out from the top of this mountain.

I must say, I can think of better places to die than here. But I guess it's not so bad after wandering around that desert of a place called The Wilderness in the Bible. The Sinai Peninsula is certainly no picnic from what I saw!

I'll leave you with short videos from the top and near the top: