Madaba
TRAVEL AGENCY IN JORDAN - AMMAN:
Just 30 kilometres from Amman, along the 5,000-year-old Kings´ Highway, is one of the most memorable places in the Holy Land. After passing through a string of ancient sites, the first city you reach is Madaba, known as the “City of Mosaics".
Best known for its spectacular Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, Madaba is home to the famous 6th century Mosaic Map of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. With two million pieces of vividly colored local stone, it depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns as far as the Nile Delta.
Madaba has been inhabited for at least 4,500 years and is mentioned in the Bible as the Moabite town of Medeba (Numbers 21:30). After several centuries of Moabite and Nabataean rule, Medeba and the surrounding lands became part of the Roman Province of Arabia with the Emperor Trajan’s conquest of the Nabataean Kingdom in 106 AD.
During the 1st century AD, Christianity spread rapidly through the Roman province of Arabia, but the Romans persecuted believers. Several martyrs died for their beliefs in Madaba, under the orders of Emperor Diocletian. In the 4th century, the emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, which then became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire.
During the Byzantine era from the 5th century onwards, Madaba had its own bishop, and numerous churches were constructed from the 6th to the 7th century. Mosaic floors were the hallmark of this era and continued to be made in Madaba until the 8th Century. In 749 AD, a devastating earthquake leveled the city and it was abandoned. In 1897, three Christian families, consisting of a group of 2,000 people, migrated to Madaba from the ancient crusader town of Karak. After that event, the city became predominantly Christian. Numerous mosaics were discovered when new housing and churches were built to provide for the new immigrants.
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Mosaic Map of the Holy Land in St. George's Church. |
The Madaba Mosaic Map covers the floor of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, which is located northwest of the city centre. The church was built in 1896 AD, over the remains of a much earlier 6th century Byzantine church. The mosaic panel enclosing the Map was originally around 15.6 X 6m, 94 square meters, only about a quarter of which is preserved.
Other mosaic masterpieces found in the church of the Virgin and the Apostles and in the Archaeological Museum, depict a rampant profusion of flowers and plants, birds and fish, animals and exotic beasts, as well as scenes from mythology and the everyday pursuits of hunting, fishing and farming. Literally, hundreds of other mosaics from the 5th through the 7th centuries are scattered throughout Madaba's churches and homes.
In line with Jordan's commitment to restoring and preserving its mosaic masterpieces, Madaba’s extensive archaeological Park and Museum complex encompasses the remains of several Byzantine churches, including the outstanding mosaics of the Church of the Virgin and the Hyppolytus Hall, part of a 6th century mansion.
Mukawir
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Herod's hilltop stronghold of Mukawir. |
Within an hour’s drive from Madaba along the picturesque King’s Highway, is Mukawir, Mukawir the hilltop stronghold of Herod the Great. Upon Herod’s death, his son Herod Antipas inherited the fortress and it is from here that he ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded after Salome’s fateful dance.
Mount Nebo
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The Byzantine Church at Mt. Nebo. |
Also within the area is Mount Nebo, one of the most revered holy sites of Jordan and the place where Moses was buried. A small Byzantine church was built there by early Christians, which has been expanded into a vast complex. During his visit to Jordan in 2001, the Late Pope John Paul II held a sermon here that was attended by some 20,000 faithful.
Hammamat Ma'in
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Thermal springs at Hammamat Ma'in. |
Umm Ar-Rasas
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Umm Ar-Rasas. |
