Mt. Nebo

To cap our busy day we ascended switchbacks through desert mountains keeping the Dead Sea in view far below. Along the way we were stopped cold by a herd of goats ambling along the road. Three Bedouin herdsman soon came along to clear the way for us. This was after Terry jumped out of our cab, running after the herd taking pictures. Two Bedouin were on donkeys and the third on foot giving orders to his herding dog. We got a close look at how any goat that got out of line was quickly retrieved by the dog. As a cultural note this was only the second dog we've seen in Jordan. The other was dead in the road on the way to Jerash. Islam does not favor dogs as they are considered unclean. We do see many feral cats. While on the subject of animals, our driver screeched to a halt because on the hill just above us grazed a huge white camel, its Bedouin owner nowhere to be seen. Camel milk is considered particularly nutritious and can be bought in our supermarket. Outside of the city of Madaba, Jordan, known for its ancient mosaics and majority Christian population, we reached our next destination, Mt. Nebo. This mountain has been famed since biblical times as the place where Moses died after looking out over the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 34:1). Mt. Nebo is a narrow mountain with an abrupt drop off that, as you would expect, commands an amazing view past the Jordan River and Dead Sea to West Bank cities, Jerusalem, and beyond. At the summit is a Franciscan Roman Catholic church and small museum telling the story of Moses and displaying the mosaics for which the area is also famous. As at the baptismal site the experience of standing in these places from the Bible is very moving. All my life I heard of these places and now I see them in person. We stopped at an interpretive museum (dioramas) before heading home after a long and emotional day.