Mount Nebo Jordan
Today the place is a religious complex and a place of pilgrimage having already received the visit of Pope John Paul II (who during his visit planted an olive tree next to the Byzantine chapel - currently under reconstruction - as a symbol of peace) and Pope Benedict XVI.
The view from the summit is just spectacular! You can have a panoramic view of Jerusalem, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan River valley. From the peak of Mount Nebo, overlooking, Jericho and the distant hills of Jerusalem, Moses saw the Holy Land of Canaan that he would never enter. He died and was buried in Moab, "in the valley opposite Beth-Peor" (Deuteronomy 34: 6).
Mount Nebo became a pilgrimage site for the early Christians of Jerusalem and a small church was built there in the 4th century to commemorate the death of Moses. Some of the stones of that church are still in their original place in the wall around the apse area.
In the fifth and sixth centuries, the church was subjected to expansion works that transformed it into the large basilica we currently know, with its splendid collection of Byzantine mosaics.
The Serpentine Cross, which is located just outside the sanctuary, is the symbol of the copper (or bronze) snake raised by Moses in the desert and of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. According to the legend on days without fog, you can even see Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Jericho.
A well-traveled bridge between sea and desert, east and west, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a land of mesmerizing beauty and contrasts, from the Jordan Valley, fertile, and ever-changing, to the remote desert canyons, immense and still. Visitors can explore splendid desert castles, gaze in awe at the haunting wilderness of Wadi Rum, or bathe in the restful waters of the Red Sea.