A vast, expansive, plain scorching red-hot desert — sans any form of life nor Bedouin tents and their accompanying animals, not even a tree — with only one road. This greeted us en route to Mount Nebo, one of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan's most popular pilgrimage spots. And for good reason!

Having passed through this desert, it made me further understand the exodus from Egypt to escape from slavery, where they roamed these sands for 40 years.

Situated approximately 30 kilometers from the capital Amman, and just within the environs of the Dead Sea, the ridge of over 2,000 feet high provides pilgrims and the curious a 360-degree panoramic vista all year round. It awards an expansive view of the city oasis of Jericho, the beloved city of Jerusalem, and even the troubled West Bank in the Palestinian Territory. Even the Biblical town of Nebo, which shares the same name as the mount, is just a short ride away.

As the Bible recounts, Moses, the liberator of the slaves and the oracle for the Ten Commandments, gazed upon the Promised Land of Milk and Honey here just before he passed on.

Aside from the scriptural description, the trek up to the summit likewise proves fruitful to travelers, as I stumbled upon some tidbits: Mount Nebo has been mentioned in the Good Book several times. First was Moses' ascension where he glimpsed Moab, but could not gain entry. The second alludes that Jeremiah the Prophet hid the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle inside one of the caves around the barren land.