Day 6 – Thursday, February 20: Morning Flight to Amman, Bethany beyond the Jordan, Mt. Nebo, Machaerus, Drive to Petra
The day began early once again. With a wakeup at 3:00 a.m. and a departure from the hotel at 3:30, we walked directly to the Cairo Airport for our flight to Amman, Jordan. The flight took about 75 minutes. Upon landing, we were greeted by Salem, our Jordanian agent who helped us through the visa procedures, and Sammy, our Jordanian guide. The weather throughout the day was a big change from Egypt. It rained off and on, but with pockets of sun. The temps were in the 40s-50s.
Bethany Beyond the Jordan
Leaving the airport, we bussed directly to the area of the Jordan River to the west and specifically to Bethany Beyond the Jordan. This area is known for where Elijah ascended into heaven in a fiery chariot (2 Kings 2), and where Jesus was baptized (John 1). We walked down a nice path all the way to the river. Jesus also came to this area of Perea on occasion, especially where John was baptizing (John 10).
Mt. Nebo
From here we ascended from the Plains of Moab to Mt. Nebo, part of the Pisgah Range. We read from Deuteronomy 31-34 and Joshua 1 about the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. The visibility looking westward to the Dead Sea and Jericho was fairly good, even though clouds covered the peak just before we arrived. This was Moses’ view before he died at 120 years of age. A Bronze Snake monument is erected here (Numbers 21, John 3). We also saw the newly renovated church here built upon the Byzantine Church from the 4-5th centuries AD. The mosaics were impressive to see! Nearby we stopped at a mosaic school and store.
“We made it to Jordan today! The weather was completely different, with much cooler temperatures (50s) and a little rain. We saw the Jordan River, the “Promise Land’ from Mt. Nebo, and Machaerus. We are looking forward to Petra and Wadi Rum tomorrow!”
Machaerus
Our last stop of the day was Machaerus. This was a palace-fortress built by Herod (but previously built by the Hasmeans). When we arrived at Machaerus, we recalled the story from Matthew 14 (also recorded in Mark 6) about how John the Baptizer was beheaded here. Josephus tells us it happened here (Antiquities 18.5.2). About a third in the group climbed to the top of this palace-fortress built by Herod the Great. It was colder and windy on top. We saw the suggested throne area of the palace (where Herod Antipas received the head of the Baptizer) as well as a few ritual baths and columns. The view across the Dead Sea was fairly good, allowing us to see even the area of Jerusalem on the distant horizon high in the Hill Country of Judah. Later, Machaerus fell to the Romans in 71 AD.
Petra
From Machaerus, we had a long drive to Petra. For the most part, we used the newly-paved Desert Highway before exiting on to the King’s Highway (Numbers 21-22). We arrived at our hotel for a late dinner. We rise at 6 a.m. (yippee!) for Petra, one of the 7 Wonders of the World!
Day 7 – Friday, February 21: Petra, Wadi Rum, Bedouin Village
