jordan Machaerus

The local name for this hilltop al-mishnaqa, the gallows carries resonances of its early notoriety, for the fort that crowns it is traditionally associated with the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist. Dramatically situated in the hills south-west of Madaba, and overlooking the Dead Sea, the fortress of Machaerus lies near the small village of Mukawir, whose name reflects the ancient one. But the story of Machaerus is older than that of John the Baptist.