Khirbet al-Tannur
About 45
km.
south of Karak on the King's Highway is Wadi Hasa, a deep gorge known in
the
Bible
as the Zered Valley. There Moses and the Israelites ended their
wanderings in the desert and camped on their journey north (Numbers 21:
12; Deuteronomy 2: 13-14).
Just west of Wadi Hasa, the deep gorge that bisects the King’s Highway
about 45 kilometers south of Karak, you will find the ruins of a great
Nabatean temple. Known as Khirbet al-Tannur, the site was built on the
edge of a steep bluff, and access is possible only from the southern
flank
The temple dates back to the first century CE, and was probably
dedicated to the deities Atargatis (goddess of foliage and fruit) and
Hadad (god of the thunderbolt), although relics associated with a
variety of gods and goddesses have been found at the site. Many of these
can now be seen at Amman’s Archeological Museum.
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