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<\/a><\/p>\nAfter breakfast we set off on our drive south along the King’s Highway. \u00a0The road has been an international trade route for the last 5,000 years. \u00a0Our first stop was the ancient city of Madaba<\/em>, about 30 km from Amman, which is known for its beautiful Byzantine mosaics.<\/p>\n Madaba<\/em> is known for the\u00a06th century mosaic map of the Holy Land which is located in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. \u00a0The “Madaba Map” is part of a floor mosaic and is considered to be the “oldest surviving original depiction of the Holy Land.” \u00a0The photo below is an artist’s drawing of the map. \u00a0Our tour guide, Muhammad, described the ancient symbols to us using this drawing.<\/p>\n The map depicts Jerusalem during the period from 542 to 570 AD. \u00a0It was created\u00a0by unknown artists for the Christian community of Madaba<\/em>. \u00a0Photo of the real map:<\/p>\n The interior of St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church is below. \u00a0The mosaic map is enclosed on the floor within the red chains in front of and to the right\u00a0of the main altar.<\/p>\n Less than 10 kilometers west of Madaba<\/em> is\u00a0Mt. Nebo, known as Pisgah<\/em> in the bible. \u00a0It is purported to be the place\u00a0where Moses lived out his remaining days and viewed the Promised Land from a distance on top of the mountain.<\/p>\n The spectacular view from the summit provides a panorama of the Jordan River Valley, the West Bank city of Jericho, and on clear days, Jerusalem and Bethlehem.<\/p>\n Mount Nebo rises almost 2700 feet above sea level. \u00a0Although it was a bit hazy, the Dead Sea was visible from the summit.<\/p>\n The plaque pictured below shows the distance and approximate locations from Mt. Nebo to many of the sites which my tour group and I will visit\u00a0during the next few weeks.<\/p>\n The remains of a late 4th century Byzantine church and monastery were discovered on the Mt. Nebo summit\u00a0in 1933. \u00a0A\u00a0modern chapel was built to cover and protect the site as well as the ancient mosaics. \u00a0The original columns, mosaics, and walls were visible inside the chapel.<\/p>\n The chapel had been closed for renovation since 2007 and was reopened in 2016, so we were lucky to be able to visit this historic\u00a0place.<\/p>\n We ate lamb stew, tabouli salad, hummus, and baba ganoush for lunch in a restaurant called the Terrace Souk. \u00a0Afterwards Muhammad took us to a mosaic factory located nearby.<\/p>\n The handmade mosaics were lovely and several group members made purchases. \u00a0Our next short stop was a liquor store because a few people asked about buying beer in Jordan. \u00a0Stores that sell alcohol in the Muslim country are owned by Christians.<\/p>\n We stopped at a very sketchy looking shop and a few people purchased\u00a0what they wanted. \u00a0We learned it was 3 Jordanian Dinars<\/em> for a can of beer with 8% alcohol.<\/p>\n We continued south on the King’s Highway through the Mujib<\/em> Valley. \u00a0This long meandering road has been the route of north-south trade and scenes of battles since prehistoric times and is mentioned in the bible.<\/p>\n The view out of the bus window reminded me of the drive through the Kyzylkum Desert<\/em> in Uzbekistan. \u00a0This was barren land as far as I could see with low hills of sand and stones.<\/p>\n Occasionally, there was a Bedouin village of shabby tents with enclosures for animals.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n