A Shrine to Moses. A Reappraisal of the Mount Nebo Monastic Complex between Byzantium and Islam

Abstract

This book offers new insights into the Memorial of Moses on Mount Nebo, one of the most renowned coenobitic monasteries in the Byzantine period in Arabia. Between 2012 and 2014, the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum carried out new archaeological investigations in the southern wing of the monastery and in the church. The excavation in the central nave unearthed an empty tomb adorned with alabaster marble, placed on the highest point of the mountain. Starting from the archaeological data, the author critically reflects on the architectural phases of the basilica, how the monastery was run and its daily life. Special attention is also given to pilgrimages to the monastic shrines beyond the River Jordan and their progressive abandonment.