Mount Nebo
جبل نيبو
The place where Moses is said to have looked out over the Promised Land and been laid to rest. The summit church has fine Byzantine mosaics and views of the Dead Sea and Jerusalem.
جبل نيبو rises to about 710 metres, roughly 10 km northwest of Madaba. According to the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses looked out from here over the 'Promised Land' that God had pledged to the Israelites, and he died here, making it an important Christian pilgrimage site. Pope John Paul II visited in 2000. The Moses Memorial Church on the summit was built over the ruins of a 4th-century Byzantine church and reopened in 2016 after restoration. Inside, the well-preserved 6th-century Byzantine mosaic floors show hunting, herding and animal scenes in vivid colours. Outside stands a copper serpent cross sculpture by an Italian artist, symbolising the bronze serpent that Moses raised and the Crucifixion of Jesus. On the viewing terrace, a direction table shows the distances to various places. On clear days you can see the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, Jericho and even distant Jerusalem. Admission is about 3 dinars. It is usually combined in one day with Madaba, famous for St George's Church and its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land, and with the Dead Sea. Each is about 40 minutes by car from Amman or the Dead Sea.
Opening hours
Summer 08:00–18:00; winter 08:00–16:00
Nearby sights
- Madaba Map (St. George's Church)
- Iraq al-Amir & Qasr al-Abd
- Baptism Site "Bethany Beyond the Jordan" (Al-Maghtas)
- Royal Automobile Museum
- Royal Tank Museum
- The Jordan Museum
- Rainbow Street
- King Abdullah I Mosque