3 June 2015: Along the Dead Sea Shore

3 June 2015: Along the Dead Sea Shore

Mt Nebo

"And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, that is Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan."

(Deuteronomy 34:1)

According to the biblical account quoted above, it was at Mount Nebo that Moses was shown the Promised Land. The view from the top is breathtaking.

View from Mt Nebo.

When the fourth-century pilgrim Egeria visited Mt Nebo, she was shown the tomb of Moses inside the church. During my visit the Moses Memorial Church was closed for restoration.

Moses Memorial Church. The fourth-century building is contained within a new enclosure.

Church of SS Lot and Prokopios, Mukhayyat

Not far from Mt Nebo is the church of SS Lot and Prokopios, named after early Christian martyrs. The church was built under Bishop John in the mid-6th century. It is located at Mukhayyat, reputedly the location of the Old Testament town of Nebo.

Church of SS Lot and Prokopios (looking northeast). A dedicatory inscription dates the well-preserved floor mosaic to 557.

Detail of the floor mosaic showing a fisherman hooking a fish.

The floor mosaic at the west end of the church shows pairs of animals (hares, stags, and bullocks) between four fruit trees. The inscription quotes Psalm 51: 19: "Then shall they offer bullocks upon thy altar." In the early liturgy this psalm was often sung as the offering was taken up to the altar, and the bullocks in the mosaic are facing an altar.

Baaras & Mukawir (Machaerus)

Baaras

The road to Machaerus, winding its way through the desolate mountains, took us by the hot springs at Zarqa Ma'in.

The contrast between the rocky mountains and the green valleys is striking.

The location of the hot springs at Zarqa Ma'in (ancient Baaras).

Baaras is only 8 km east of the hot springs at Kallirhoe, where Herod the Great built a baths complex. He went there in search of a cure for his fatal disease: "a slight fever, an unbearable itching all over his body, constant pains in the lower bowel, swellings on the feet as in dropsy, inflammation of the abdomen and mortification of the genitals...difficulty in breathing...and spasms" (Josephus).

Mukawir

Herod the Great, Roman-appointed king of Judaea from 37 to 4 BCE, built a fortress at Machaerus. According to Josephus it was here that Salome danced for Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, and asked for the head of John the Baptist.

The setting of the archaeological site, located at the top of the conical hill, is stunning.

The archaeological remains of the fortress of Machaerus.

The ruined state of the archaeological site can be explained partly by its violent history. The Jews overtook the Roman garrison stationed here during the revolt of 66 CE. Six years later the Romans retaliated, and the fortress was destroyed.

View from the fortress of Machaerus, with the Dead Sea in the background.

After descending from the mountains, we took a closer look at the shrinking Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.

The Baptism Site of Wadi Kharrar

"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

(John 1: 26-28)

A little way of the east of the Jordan river is the archaeological area. A stairway leads down from the Church of John the Baptist to the baptistery.

The archaeological area with a stairway leading from the church to the baptistery.

The Baptism of Agnes on the east bank.

The narrow and murky Jordan river is the border between Jordan on the east bank and Palestine and Israel on the west bank.

Sanctuary of St Lot (Deir 'Ain 'Abata)

Unfortunately, the elevated site of the Sanctuary of St Lot, which includes Lot's Cave, the associated church, and the monastic complex were closed. A visit to the nearby Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth was well worth the trip though.

The mosaic pavement from the diakonikon of the Church of St Lot shows a vine growing from an urn with an inscription dated to 572/3. Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth.