Mt Nebo – guide – burial place of Moses – church – lookout to
Israel and Dead Sea.
View from Mt. Nebo - Moses is buried near here but no one knows where
Our guide at Mt. Nebo - very animated and informative
A monument carved at Mt. Nebo - it has a hole thru which the sun goes on the spring equinox
Memorial Stone at Mt. Nebo
Beautiful countryside from Mt. Nebo
A stone like this is reported to have been used to seal Jesus' tomb
Original mosaic floors - stunning
From Mt. Nebo looking to the promised land - this is where Moses declared it "The Promised Land"
A sculpture made like a snake and a staff
Restoration continues on the church at Mt. Nebo
Panorama from Mt. Nebo
To Moweit where there is a building with a mosaic.
A family lived in this house for many years and had no idea the mosaic was under the dirt floors!
Beautiful original mosaic floors
At one time this was also a chapel and this was the altar
To Madaba which is the City of Mosaics
Picture of the "map" made of mosaic in the Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba
Part of the mosaic floor showing one of the earliest maps of the region
More of the mosaic map
And more
The Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba
We then drove through Wadi Al Mujib on the way to Petra. Wadi Al Mujib is a deep vally holding one of Jordan’s most
breathtaking views - the Grand Canyon of Jordan.
Panorama of Wadi Al Mujib
Beautiful deep valley - stark landscape
Enjoying the scenery from the top of Wadi Al Mujib
Dam built in the distance to hold water which is precious in this region
Another beautiful panorama of Wadi Al Mujib
Many different colors of stone in the mountains - colors, white, black
We drove by Kerak Castle but didn’t stop on Firas’ advice.
Kerak Castle - Feras told us Shawbak Castle is much better - and he was right!
Instead went to Shawbak Castle. There were lots of cave homes in the area and the castle was on top of a large hill. We decided to tour the ruins on our own without a guide. The views from the top were spectacular. A large site of
ruins. We enjoyed exploring it.
After touring the castle, we came out and were invited by the caretakers to join them in a meal of galayet bandora made with olive oil, onions, fresh tomatos, garlic, and meat – chili was optional - salt and pepper. We ate it with bread and it was so good and fresh. After enjoying that snack, I bought a “lamp and goat runner” from one of the men off of his truck. His wife made it. The bargaining was fun too. Firas told me that I got a good deal.
After touring the castle, we came out and were invited by the caretakers to join them in a meal of galayet bandora made with olive oil, onions, fresh tomatos, garlic, and meat – chili was optional - salt and pepper. We ate it with bread and it was so good and fresh. After enjoying that snack, I bought a “lamp and goat runner” from one of the men off of his truck. His wife made it. The bargaining was fun too. Firas told me that I got a good deal.
Shawbak Castle
Views of the valley below Shawbak
Inside the castle
Another selfie on top of Shawbak Castle
The site was a pile of rubble but some walls were still standing
On one of the outposts looking out at the valley
Tim enjoying the scenery - it was very hot!
The walls of Shawbak Castle
Some archways were preserved or restored
Beautiful panorama from the top of Shawbak Castle
Beautiful valley and mountains
We drove into Petra and met our guide for tomorrow at a park overlooking the city. We would never have found our way here as there are no directional or street signs. He gave us options and we chose to do the
Royal Tour on horseback through most of the grounds. It was pricy but should be special and will allow us to do much more in a shorter time period than walking.
Firas took us to an ATM and then to the Marriott Petra where
we’ll stay for 2 nights. It is a beautiful property overlooking the mountains of Petra. We enjoyed the sunset while having beer in the bar.
At 7:30 we went to a Bedoin tent on the hotel grounds for a traditional Bedoin dinner that was cooked in the ground. They built a fire in the ground, put a pot with rice and vegetables on top and then a pot with meat – lamp and chicken. Delicious. We had fun conversation with some of the others – a couple from Sydney and a couple from Indiana/Florida. Lots of political discussion.
Sunset over the mountains of Petra
At 7:30 we went to a Bedoin tent on the hotel grounds for a traditional Bedoin dinner that was cooked in the ground. They built a fire in the ground, put a pot with rice and vegetables on top and then a pot with meat – lamp and chicken. Delicious. We had fun conversation with some of the others – a couple from Sydney and a couple from Indiana/Florida. Lots of political discussion.
The Bedoin tent for our dinner at the Petra Marriott
View from the Marriott to the mountains to the west
Our dinner first course is served
Relaxing on pillows and a "leaning post" on beautiful Jordanian rugs
We had fun in the Bedoin tent
The chef starts digging out the dinner - it was completely covered in sand
A hole in the ground into which the fire is built and the pots put on top
He took out the pots with the meat, then vegetables, then the rice
The chef proudly displaying the main course - it was delicious
A performer played for us on a stringed instrument and he sang too
The Bedoin feast - very tasty
We went to bed about 10 pm. It will be a very early start tomorrow to beat the crowds and the sun at Petra. It was a long day today and we traveled 320 km by
car from Amman to Petra. So exciting.
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