Israel did not take the shorter route through the southern area east of the Jordan River. That region was the main territory of Edom (20:21).
After they left Kadesh, the Hebrews came to Mount Hor. This mountain stood on the border of Edom. The exact location of Mount Hor is not known today. However, the Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote between AD 70 and AD 100, connected it with the region of Petra. He identified it with Jebel Haroun, which means “mountain of Aaron.”