Virtual Holy Land Gallery - Jordan

Amman

Amman is the capital of Jordan is a fascinating place with a unique blend of contracts between old and new. It is situated on a hilly area between the desert and the fertile Jordan Valley. The Seven Hills of Amman are a mixture honking horns and the call to prayer which echoes from the minarets around the city. Gleaming white houses, kabab stalls and cafés are interspersed with bustling markets—known in Arabic as souqs—and the remains of civilizations and ages long past. Amman is is located 38 km. east of the Jordan River on the edge of the Arabian Desert at an elevation of 750 m.  It is home to over 1.5 million people. In the Old Testament it was called Rabbah of the Ammonites.  In New Testament times it was known as Philadelphia and was one of the major cities of the Decapolis.  It enjoyed a spurt of building

The Citadel covers about 40 acres and is L-shaped. The hill is divided into three terraces and was surrounded by deep wadis on three sides except for the north. The north side was not as protected and thus was the most vulnerable to attack. It is likely that David’s men concentrated their campaign against the city at this point, and perhaps it was here that Uriah was killed at David’s order (2 Sam 11:16-17). The Jabbok River starts in a strong spring at the citadel of Rabbath Ammon. This spring likely gave the city its name, the “city of waters” (2 Sam 12:27, KJV).

One of the most important things in this part of the country is the Baptism Site of Jesus at Bethany, beyond the Jordan. En route is Lot’s cave where Abraham’s nephew sought refuge from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. This is where John the Baptist lived and where it is believed he baptised Jesus. A lifelike figure composed of jagged rock is said to be Lot’s wife, who was turned into a pillar of salt after she looked back . At this quiet spot, the Bible tells us, the spirit of God descended like a dove upon Jesus and a voice from heaven said “this is my son, whom I love: with him I am well pleased”.

Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo is one of the most revered holy sites of Jordan, located 10 km west of the Roman Byzantine town of Madaba, for this is where Moses was buried. The site's association with the last days of Moses is described in Deuteromony (34:1-7). The episode of Balak and Balam (2:13-26) also took place here.

The site's other name is Pisgah: "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah which is opposite Jericho. From the mountaintop, which is the highest point in the Moabite range, rising to about 800 meters, you can admire the dazzling view across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea, to the rooftops of Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

Petra

Petra is probably one of the most beautiful, and most unforgettable places one will ever visit. It has been named as one of the seven wonders of the world. It is located about 50 miles south of the Dead Sea in ancient Edom. Petra is the Greek word for rock, and is likely to be identified as the biblical Sela, which also means rock (2 Kings 14:7; 2 Chron. 25:11-12; Isa. 16:1; 42:11; Jer. 49:16). This region was also known as Mount Seir. The ancient city is located in the basin of Wadi Musa at an elevation of about 2700 feet, and must be reached by foot or horseback through the Siq (Arabic for pass). A small Edomite stronghold dating to the Iron Age (7th-6th century B.C.) has been found on top of Umm el-Biyarah which is a high, steep-sided, flat-topped hill in Petra. The Edomites were displaced by the Nabateans and moved into the region of southern Judea. In New Testament times they were know as the Idumeans (Mark 3:8).

Petra was chosen as the capital of the Nabateans because it was located in a valley surrounded by sandstone mountains. There are many ways to get into Petra, but none of them are easy, and if the valleys are sealed, it is almost impossible for anyone to enter. The main entrance to Petra is called the Siq; it has sides as high as 650 ft).  As many as 30,000 people may have lived in Petra during the 1st century A.D. It is a misconception that Petra was a city only for the dead. A large earthquake in 363 A.D. destroyed at least half of the city which never recovered from this destruction.

The treasury is the first thing to be seen as one exits the siq, it is a breath taking sight. The scale of this monument is several stories high, and especially spectacular in the morning sunlight.

Petra's theater is cut out of solid rock, and badly deteriorated. The front of the theater, including most of the stage was badly damaged by floods. While some people have assumed that this was built by the Romans, the theater is actually Nabataean and was constructed long before the Romans entered Petra. The caves along the back of the theater most likely come from older tombs that were removed in order to carve the theater seats. Of the 800 carved tombs in Petra, the Kazneh is the most famous. Its name Kazneh means "treasure" and comes from the Bedouin belief that the Pharaoh chasing the Israelites hid his treasure in the urn at the top of the Kazneh.

Mount Hor

Bedouin tradition has it that Jebel Haroun is Mount Hor where Moses' brother Aaron was buried.  Most scholars reject this, locating Mount Hor near Kadesh-barnea to the west.  Some believe that Petra may be Sela in the Old Testament, largely because of the meaning of the name (2 Ki 14:7; Isa 16:1). Sela is "rock, cliff, fissure".

Edom

The country of Edom was founded by Jacob's brother Esau. He picked up the nickname "Edom" or "Red" when he sold half of his massive inheritance for a simple bowl of red bean stew. Edom was located in the region to the southeast of Israel, Mount Seir was a notable landmark in this region. Edom and Israel, the people who descended from Jacob, never got along with each other. Skirmishes between the people happened often with Edom never getting over its hatred of Israel. "Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom the day of Jerusalem, who said, "Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation!"" (Psalm 137:7). In other words, Edom was cheering the Babylonians on. When Israel fell because of their sins, Edom rejoiced at its fall and took the opportunity to raid the country. They even helped the Babylonians collect the stragglers left from the war (Obadiah 10-15).

God made several prophecies against Edom (Isaiah 35; 63:1-6; Jeremiah 49:7-22; Amos 1:11; Obadiah; Ezekiel 25:12-14; 35). However, the one that tells us what happened to Edom is found in Ezekiel 35. God promised that travelers would no longer pass that way; the country would be so littered with the slain that people would avoid the stench. But most importantly, God states that the country would never be rebuilt and remain perpetually empty. When the edict was made allowing people to return to their homelands, Israel and many other countries were rebuilt, but Edom never was. During the time of the Greeks and Romans, the region was known as Idumea, which is the Greek transliteration of Edom.

Gilead

Gilead is in northern Jordan, and stretches from Amman or ancient Philadelphia in the south to the Yarmuk River and the Syrian border on the north. The mountains on the west overlook the Jordan Valley.  In the Old Testament this is the area of Gilead a geographical tribal name that is mentioned 110 times in the Bible.  Gilead is divided in half by the Jabbok River.  The northern part of Gilead reaches a height of 4,091 ft. above sea level while the elevations of its southern portion are a lot less. During the Old Testament era northern Gilead was allotted to the Israelite tribe of Manasseh, while southern Gilead was allotted to Gad.  During the New Testament Roman period this was the area known Perea, close to the Jordan Valley and the Decapolis which was a group of Greco–Roman cities that were loosely allied.

When Saul first became king, the people of Jabesh Gilead needed help against an enemy and Saul provided it. Later when Saul and some of his sons were killed in fighting, and the Philistines treated the bodies of Saul and his sons shamefully, it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who risked their lives to retrieve the bodies and give them a decent burial. "So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, 'You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him'" (2 Sam 2:5). David rightfully recognized the good work of Jabesh Gilead and blessed them for it, even though Saul had been trying to kill David