Day 09 - Machaerus, Mt. Nebo, Dead Sea

We left Wadi Musa in the pouring rain Sunday morning and headed north to Mukawir where the ruins of the Herodian fortress/palace of Machaerus sits perched atop a hill overlooking the Dead Sea. By the time we arrived, the rain had cleared and we had a beautiful morning at the site.  Rich Liverance gave a message about John the Baptist, who was imprisoned and beheaded by Herod the Tetrarch at this site.

We then climbed the hill and saw the remains of the palace, including the courtyard and throne platform where archaeologists believe the biblical account of John's death took place (Matthew 14 and Mark 6).

We then headed north to Madaba for a traditional Jordanian lunch at the Food Basket, a restaurant owned and managed by local women. We enjoyed delicious appetizers, salads and bread and then a Jordanian special dish called "maqluba", which means “upside down.” Chicken, rice, and vegetables are layered in a giant pot then flipped upside down onto a serving platter. Delicious!

After lunch we visited a mosaic factory. At this particular shop, the artwork is hand-crafted by individuals with physical disabilities who do amazing handiwork! Mosaic art is the signature style of the city of Madaba, which was a prominent town from 324-800 AD. The large showroom held a vast array of every size and style mosaic you could imagine from small magnets to large tables! They also sold vases and jewelry. The design they are known for is, fittingly, the “Tree of Life” which depicts a pomegranate tree with animals below. An especially unique item they made are hollow ostrich eggs with “micro-mosaic” designs on the exterior, done by hand with a tool the size of a needle! The owner explained that the shop is endorsed by the former queen of Jordan, Queen Noor, who set up a school in town for mosaic artwork. Students are not charged it tuition fee, but they are required to study the art for five years before working professionally.

We ended our day with a view of the Jordan Valley from Mount Nebo. In case you are unfamiliar with the location, Mount Nebo was the place where God led Moses to see the Promise Land, even though he was not permitted to enter it. Deuteronomy 34 says, “Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo… there the Lord showed him the whole land – from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, “I will give it to your descendants.” I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.’”

After Mt. Nebo, we stopped on the road to talk to a local Bedouin camel herder and see his newborn camel!

Our hotel was on the Dead Sea which gave us an opportunity to float and soak in the salt and mineral mud of the lowest place on earth.