Travel Guide Tell Hesban

Near the village of Hesban, north of Madaba (10 km) and not far from Mount Nebo, this archaeological site will interest only the enthusiasts, but the others will be enchanted by the superb panorama. It is said to be the ancient city of Hesbon mentioned in the Bible. The site has been occupied since the Iron Age and was later integrated into the Ammonite kingdom before being fortified by Herod the Great. It became Esbus during the Roman period and then an important bishopric in the 4th century. The Abbasids turned it into a fortress in the 9th century. Today, only caves occupied in the Neolithic period, Roman roads and a temple, and ruins of Byzantine churches remain.