HISBAN
Hisban is located on the edge of the highland plateau,
overlooking the northern tip of the Dead Sea and the Lower Jordan Valley.
Modern-day Hisban is widely identified with one of the
Cities of the Plain, Heshbon, due to the similarity in their name (Numbers
21:26). Formerly ruled by the Amorite King Sihon, this region of central Jordan
was referenced in the Song of Solomon 7:5, “……your eyes are like pools in
Heshbon”.
Later fortified in the Roman Byzantine period, Hisban , also
called Esbus ,was an important station on early Christian pilgrims’ route from
Jerusalem to Mount Nebo via the Jordan River.
Modern Hisban village is the first major antiquities site on
the King’s Highway south of Amman. Some scholars believe that the nearby Tell
Jalul is a better candidate for ancient Heshbon. Both sites, only 20 minutes by
car from Amman, have been excavated and can be easily visited. Tell of Hisban
has been equipped with signs and walkways, that allow visitors to appreciate
its many ancient remains from the Iron Age, Graeco Roman, Byzantine and
medieval Islamic periods.
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