Lands of the Bible

Mount Nebo, believed to be Moses’ burial place and the point from where he viewed the “Holy Land”, is an apt start to this exploration of the ‘land of the Bible’, it is preceded by the visit to Petra (as nobody should miss this ‘’Wonder of the World’), where the tomb of Aaron can be made out on the mountain top of Jebel Harun. One of the first visits is to Madaba to study the famous Byzantine mosaic map of ancient Palestine, possibly the oldest map in existence, created for pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land and encompassing the Jordan and Nile rivers, the sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea and Jerusalem.

In the direction of Egypt lies St Catherine’s Monastery whose richly adorned church, ‘Burning Bush’ chapel, library and Moses’ Well have received pilgrims since the 4th century A.D. when Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, built a sanctuary around the site where Moses encountered the Burning Bush. Of particular note are some of the world’s best-preserved and priceless ancient manuscripts and icons due in part to the isolation, secure walls and the dry climate of the region. The monastery and the surrounding area are little changed since ancient times and the spectacular setting adds to the solitude and mystery of the site.

The Sea of Galilee is visible from Gadara (where Jesus cast out demons from two men and forced the evil spirits to enter a herd of pigs, which in turn rushed down the steep slope and drowned in the Sea of Galilee - Matthew chapter 8, 28), Bethany was the the baptism site where John the Baptist met and baptised Jesus (Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him - Matthew 3:13). In Jerusalem the Old and New testaments come to life both on the Mount of Olives and Via Dolorosa, in the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Holy Sepulchre and at Temple Mount and the ‘Wailing Wall’. King Herod’s desert fortress of Masada is where the last Jewish rebels committed suicide rather than fall into the hands of the Romans.