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Serpentine Cross at the top of Mount Nebo in Jordan, where Moses viewed the Holy Land.

© Munzir Rosdi/Shutterstock

Memorial Viewpoint

Top choice in Mt Nebo


Moses' view of the Promised Land towards ancient Gilead, Judah, Jericho and the Negev is marked by an Italian-designed bronze memorial next to the Moses Memorial Church. The ironwork, symbolising the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross and the serpent that ‘Moses lifted up’ in the desert, stands in the middle of an invariably windy viewing platform. Markers indicate notable points in the often-hazy distance, including the Golan Heights, Jerusalem (just 46km away) and the Dead Sea.

To enjoy similar views away from the crowds, pack a picnic and hike along the road downhill from Mt Nebo (towards the Dead Sea) for 100m and take the track to the left to the nearby hilltop.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby Mt Nebo attractions

1. Moses Memorial Church

0.05 MILES

On top of Mt Nebo, this modest church, or more accurately basilica, was built around 4th-century foundations in 597 and has just undergone major…

2. Church of SS Lot & Procopius

0.51 MILES

Originally built in 557, this church houses a remarkable mosaic with scenes of daily life such as agricultural work, fishing and winemaking (in particular…

3. Moses' Spring

0.96 MILES

This spring is one of two places where Moses is believed to have obtained water by striking a rock. Six giant eucalyptus trees mark the spot, and there’s…

4. La Storia Tourism Complex

1.51 MILES

This new ethnographic diorama, 2km before Mt Nebo on the Nebo–Madaba road, features an exhibition of tableaux billed as depictions of the religious,…

5. Wadi Jadid Dolmen Field

2.63 MILES

More terraced fields than wadi, Wadi Jadid is locally renowned for its remarkable collection of early Bronze Age burial chambers and stone memorials…

6. St George’s Church & Mosaic Map

5.35 MILES

This rather modest 19th-century Greek Orthodox church houses a treasure of early Christianity. Imagine the excitement in 1884 when Christian builders came…

7. Archaeological Park II

5.41 MILES

Walkways lead around the ruins of this late-6th-century luxury private mansion, destroyed by fire and earthquake around 749. The walkways offer a good…

8. Tell Hesban

5.43 MILES

Amateur archaeologists will like Tell Hesban, 9km north of Madaba. Over the centuries this strategic hill has been a Bronze Age settlement, a Hellenistic…