The town of Madaba, located 30 kilometers southwest of Amman,
is most famous for its exquisite 6th-century mosaics. Its history dates back
at least 3500 years, however. Madaba, which was known in the Bible as the Moabite
town of Medaba, is mentioned in the Old Testament account of Moses and the
Exodus (Numbers 21: 30). David also vanquished an Ammonite and Aramean coalition
near Madaba (I Chronicles 19: 7). His victory was short-lived, however, as
in the mid-ninth century BCE the Moabite King Mesha freed the city from the
control of the Israelites (2 Kings 3). Mesha, whose capital was the ancient
city of Dibon (now called Dhiban, and located just north of Wadi Mujib), recorded
his victories on the famous Mesha Stele, an inscribed stone set up in about
850 BCE. The rich farmlands around Madaba were coveted and fought over by the
Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, Israelites and other local kingdoms.
The Ammonites had conquered Madaba by 165 BCE, but it was taken from them by
Hyrcanus I around 110 BCE. His son Hyrcanus II later gave the city to the Nabateans
in exchange for their help in recovering Jerusalem from Aristobulus II. Near
the beginning of the second century CE, Trajan ousted the Nabateans from Madaba,
and the city gradually became a Roman provincial town with the usual colonnaded
streets and impressive public buildings. The Byzantine era saw Madaba enter
its most affluent era. Grand buildings and a reservoir were constructed, while
in the sixth century CE bishops were assigned to the city and a number of religious
structures were erected. The importance of Madaba as a Byzantine ecclesiastical
center is demonstrated by the wealth of elaborate mosaics scattered throughout
the town.After the Persian invasion of 614 CE and a devastating earthquake
in the year 747, the town was gradually abandoned. Madaba then lay virtually
untouched until it was resettled in the late 19th century by Christians from
Karak. The city's greatest treasures, its mosaics, were uncovered then when
these migrants were digging foundations for their houses. Madaba's most famous
mosaic is located in the Church of St. George in the middle of town. The Mosaic
Map of Palestine represents the Holy Land and its surrounding regions. Clearly
visible on the map are al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, Nablus, al-Khalil (Hebron), Ariha (Jericho),
Egypt and the Nile River, Turkey and Lebanon. The mosaic was made around 560
CE, originally composed of over 2.3 million pieces, and measured a staggering
25 by 5 meters.
It is thought that 11,500 man-hours would have been required to lay the entire
mosaic. The church is open to the public every day 08:30-18:00, except for
Friday and Sunday when it is open 10:30-18:00. A small donation to the poor
is requested.
Madaba's museum is located down a small alley a few blocks south of St. George's
Church. Just follow the signs. The museum's greatest attraction is a collection
of mosaic collages, some of which are in excellent condition. It was established
on the site of an ancient chapel, so its own mosaics form the hub of the museum's
collection. The museum also exhibits traditional embroidered Jordanian dresses,
and jewelry and pottery dating back to various ages. The museum is open Wednesday
through Monday 09:00-17:00, holidays 10:00-16:00. Adjacent to the museum is
an innovative mosaic school. In an effort to preserve Madaba's heritage and
develop its tourist potential, the Ministry of Tourism established the school
to train technicians to repair and restore mosaics. It is the only project
of its type in the Middle East.At the southern entrance to Madaba, near the
King's Highway, is the Church of the Apostles. The ruins of this Byzantine
church date to 578 CE, and are currently being restored. One of Madaba's
most beautiful mosaics adorns the floor of this church. The mosaic is known
as "Personification of the Sea" and it vividly depicts a woman emerging from
the sea, surrounded by mythical aquatic creatures and a hodgepodge of rams,
bulls, parrots and exotic vegetation. The mosaic was signed by a mosaicist
named Salamanios. In addition to its spectacular collection of mosaics and
Byzantine treasures, Madaba is also well known for its hand-woven carpets,
saddle bags and tapestries. You can actually see them being crafted on the
loom in several shops.
To get to Madaba, take the airport road south from Amman. Turn off at the road
to Na'ur and follow the signs to Madaba, which is about 30 kilometers southwest
of Amman. The Madaba Visitors Center (tel. 08-543-376) is located in a white
building near St. George's Church and open Saturday through Thursday 08:00-14:00.
The Mosaic Map of Madaba
It was the Christian vision of continuity and completeness that inspired
the mosaic artists and craftsmen of the area to make the Mosaic Map of Madaba,
which was considered a guideline for establishing geographic regions and borders.
This famous mosaic was designed in around 570 AD to decorate the floor of
a Byzantine church in Madaba. Actually, it is more than a geographic text of
that era, showing the entire region from Jordan and Palestine in the north,
to Egypt in the south, and depicting in picture form: plains, hills, valleys,
villages, and many towns and cities, complete with walls and pitched re-roofed
houses, while in the Nile huge fish swim.
It includes a fascinating plan of the holy city of Jerusalem placed at the
center of the redeemed acumen: on the left is the north gate from which two
colonnaded streets run south. On the straight street through the heart of the
city stands the domed Holy Sepulcher. Clearly inscribed above the north and
east gates is the legend "Holy City of Jerusalem".
Today this splendid map is housed in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George,
which was built in 1896 over the remains of the original Byzantine Church. Only
part of the map has been preserved. It originally measured a staggering 25 x
5 meters and was made of more than 2 million pieces of colored stone tesserae.
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