Day -2
Amman - Mount Nebo - Machaerus- Dead Sea
After break fast from the Hotel, proceed to visit Mount Nebo. Mount Nebo: The trip south of Amman along the 5,000 years old King‘s Highway is one of the most memorable journeys in the Holy Land, passing through a string of ancient sites of Jordan, the me-morial of Moses, and the presumed site of the prophet‘s death and burial place. From a platform in front of the church one can enjoy a breathtaking view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. After 40 years leading the headstrong Israelites in the desert, Moses stood on the windswept summit of Mount Nebo and viewed the Promised Land of Canaan — after having been told by God ―you shall not cross over there‖. As Deuteronomy 34:5-6 recounts, Moses died there in the land of Moab ―but no one knows his burial place to this day‖. Moses did, however, eventually reach the Prom-ised Land. Mount Nebo is now in western Jordan. At 820 meters high. Outside the present-day shrine stands an enigmatic serpen-tine cross, the Brazen Serpent Monument. Created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni, it imaginatively merges the life-saving bronze serpent set up by Moses into the desert (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified. After visiting this wonderful site, we will proceed to visit Machaerus. Machaerus is a fortified hilltop palace located in Jordan 25 km southeast of the mouth of the Jordan river on the eastern side of the Dead Sea. This place is believed to be the location of the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. According to the chronology of the Bible, (Mark 6:24; Matthew 14:8), this infamous execution took place in 32 AD shortly before the Passover, following an imprisonment of two years. The fortress Machaerus was built by Alexander Jannaeus. later rebuilt by Herod the Great. Upon the death of Herod the Great, the fortress was passed to his son, Herod Antipas, who ruled from 4 BC until 39 AD. It was during this time, at the beginning of the first century AD, that John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded at Machaerus. After visiting this historical place, we will proceed to visit Madaba City. Madaba is an ancient town in Jordan, southwest of the capital Amman. It‘s known for its 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George. The Madaba Archaeological Park preserves the mosaic-rich Church of the Virgin Mary and artifacts from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic eras. After visiting Madaba, we will have the Lunch. After Lunch proceed to Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth (1305 ft. below sea level), again make a brief stop at a private beach and take the opportunity to float in the salty buoyant water, rich in minerals. We have an hour to spent in the sea. ( to bath in the Dead Sea, you have to carry swimming dress.) Dead Sea is bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and Palestine to the west. Biblical name of the dead sea is ‘Sea of Salt (Gen 14:3), Eastern Sea (Joel 2:20), and Sea of the Arabah (Deut 4:49) In the Bible it is never written as Dead Sea. After dead sea bath, we will proceed to have a City tour of Amman after city tour return to the hotel. Dinner at hotel and over night stay at Amman.