Close to the village of Faysaliyah is Mount
Nebo. Mount Nebo's highest crest reaches an
altitude of 800 meters. All the year round
several streams flow down the sides of the
mountains. Mount Nebo is the mountain
where Moses was allowed to see the Holy Land
just before he died. Nowadays the mountain
is a memorial site where the "Church of
Moses", was built by the first Christians;
Inside there are original floor mosaics,
while in the grounds stands the symbolic
Serpentine Cross which is seen in the
background of a photo below. Ever since the
first days of Christianity this mountain has
been a holy place and a destination for
pilgrimage. The current basilica was built
in the 6th century over the ruins of the 4th
century ruins (some of it is still from the
4th century though). There is said
though to be an older Mosaic, perhaps dating
to 531 AD; it's Greek in origin and depicts
animals, farmers and hunters surrounded by
geometric decoration.
Nebo provides a bird's-eye view of the Holy Land and
southern Jordan. If you look to the south,
the panoramic view spreads over the Dead Sea
and the Desert of Judah. To the west, it
includes the Valley of the Jordan with the
mountains of Judea and Samaria.
On very clear days you could see Bethlehem and not far
from there, the cone that was Herod's
fortress, as well as the towers and
buildings of Jerusalem. You can also see the
West Bank city of Jericho.
Left to right: 1) Church of Moses 2) A side
of Church of Moses 3) Serpentine Cross and
view into the Holy Land