Day 14 - Wednesday, March 22, 2023 - Mt. Nebo and Bethany on the Jordan, swimming in the Dead Sea

March 22, 2023

First thing in the morning we headed up to Mt. Nebo, the mountain from which Moses viewed Jericho and the Promised Land across the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley. Moses died there and was buried nearby but his burial site is unknown. The valley below is green and is the site of "Moses' Spring" which is where the Israelites found water after traveling through Canaan. The view is spectacular.

A Byzantine church was built on the top of the mountain in the 4th century and was enlarged to a basilica and monastery in the 7th century. The floor has remarkable mosaics from the 4th century which were covered by later mosaics which did not have motifs of living things. The earthquake in 749 destroyed the church and it was only rediscovered and excavated by the Franciscans in the 1900s.

Then off to a training facility for making mosaics. This was founded by Queen Noor as a way to give people a valuable skill and reduce unemployment. There is a large adjoining store where one can buy the mosaics and carpets made of camel hair and bamboo silk.

Then to Bethany Beyond the Jordan where Joshua crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land and Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The cave where John the Baptist resided is visible nearby as is the hill where Elijah ascended into heaven. Zuhair pointed out the importance of this area for Jews, Christians and Muslims. (Islam views Elijah and Jesus as prophets)

There are 4 large stone pillars arranged around the spot where Jesus was baptized and nearby remains of a Byzantine church from the 6th century and later which was rebuilt many times due to frequent flooding and earthquakes.

We had a chance to touch the Jordan and watch people being baptized in the river. The river is only about 30' across to the Israeli side which has a much larger facility for tourists.

Then back to the hotel for a lecture by a Greek Orthodox priest about the life of Christians in Jordan. Christians only make up 2-3% of the population but have the same rights as Muslims. The Greek Orthodox is by far the largest church but there are smaller numbers of Roman Catholics and Protestants.

We had a delicious Putanesca (capers, anchovies, olives, garlic) pizza and beer on our way down to the beach. It is a very strange sensation to float so high in the water which has a slightly oily feel due to the high salt and mineral content. I even lathered up with the mud which is supposed to have special health benefits for the skin. Washing it off was a challenge.