The tour of attractions around Amman was arranged at the end, as I planned to visit all historical sites in the city first then return to the vicinity of Amman, including the Mount Nebo. The mountain, 800 meters above sea level, is one of Jordan’s most well-known religious shrines, where, according to the Bible, the Prophet Moses spent his last days and went up to Heaven, so its name is Mt. Moses. He led the Israelites to flee from Egypt, and after repulsing enemy attacks and overcoming many difficulties on the way, he finally arrived at Mount Sinai to receive the revelation from God and stipulate ‘Ten Commandments’ for the Jews, which were then engraved on two stone tablets. It’s the Ten Commandments known to every household.

Christians came here to build many churches which became sacred places for worship. In a church on the mountain, some significant relics of Christianity and Judaism are retained, and the floor is inlaid with a variety of patterns depicting farmlands, hunting and birds and animals to record the daily life of the Jews in those days. On the mountain stands a giant bronze serpent cross, another allusion to the Bible. The bronze snake symbolizes the revelation that God asked Moses to create a bronze serpent hanging on a post, for people who got bitten by a poisonous snake would no longer be fatally when they see the bronze serpent wand; the cross represents the Crucifixion of Jesus. The serpent cross points directly at the sky, appearing very imposing and powerful. 

From the Mount Nebo, I proceeded directly to the ‘Mosaic City,’ Madaba nearby, which boasts the world’s largest variety of mosaic products. It is also a historical city with a chequered history of more than 3,000 years, during which it has been trampled down by wars and changed hands many times, similar to other ancient cities in Jordan. Fortunately, during the Byzantine period, the art of mosaic was introduced and flourished there. It is a town without high-rise buildings but not lacking in bungalows with a homely atmosphere, neat streets, souvenir shops, and stalls selling handicrafts. People strolling around the streets are sparse, creating a peaceful atmosphere. Many mosaic drawings or works can be spotted in numerous churches, archeological parks and museums, and there is even a mosaic school.

The place definitely worth visiting must be the St. George Greek Orthodox Church. This church, built in the 19^th century, possesses an extremely precious floor depicting an incomplete map with a history of more than 1,400 years. It is said that the original complete one was composed of more than 2 million pieces of mosaic in a riot of color. It is centered on Jerusalem and drawn with the main sites mentioned in the Bible from Egypt to the Palestinian area, all marked in Greek. Landforms, geographic conditions, characters, flora and fauna, ships, and buildings are all clearly visible. It is the oldest among existing maps of the Middle East in the world and is also a map of pilgrimage, the archeological value of which should not be underestimated.  

There is another interesting experience worth mentioning, which is the floating experience in the Dead Sea. With its surface more than 420 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea, lying in the area of the Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River between Israel and Jordan, is considered the lowest lake of the world. I had previously tried the floating experience in the Dead Sea on the Israel’s side. This time in Jordan, I couldn’t wait to experience it once again. For details, please allow me to recount in my following travel note about Israel.

Tang Yu Lap

Hantec Honorary Advisor