About Mount Nebo

Moses was never to enter the Promised Land but he saw it from Mount Nebo, the summit of the Pisga (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). Moses died on Mount Nebo at the age of 120 and was buried here, but the exact location is still unknown. The 1,000m high ridge offers spectacular views over Jericho, the Dead Sea, the West Bank, the River Jordan and on very clear days even Jerusalem. Mount Nebo has two peaks – Siyagha and al-Mukhayyat.

Moses Memorial Church

In 1932, the Franciscan Church bought the archaeological site of Siyagha and carried out extensive excavations and a comprehensive restoration program. Archaeologists have uncovered a large monastic complex with a basilica built in the 5^th – 6^th century on an earlier sanctuary built by Egyptian monks. On the floors and walls of the Moses Memorial Church are ancient columns and several centuries old mosaics including the famous Diakonikon-Baptistery Mosaic depicting a hunting and herding scene.

Brazen Serpent Monument

It is also known as the Serpent Cross, created by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Fantoni who incorporated Christ’s cross with the biblical serpent (Numbers 21:4-9). The statue represents the bronze serpent on a pole which Moses erected to protect his people from a poisonous snake.

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