Beautiful Madaba City of Mosaics

There have been so many ancient mosaics uncovered here, that Madaba now has the largest number of mosaics, in their original locations, of anywhere else in the world! The past 150 years has been one discovery after another and I’m here to show you the most amazing of these finds. You will realize that beautiful Madaba City of Mosaics is a most fitting name.

Brief History

Madaba dates from the bronze age and is later mentioned numerous times in the Bible. At the start of the 2^nd century, the Romans and then Byzantines ruled, and the city formed part of the Provincia Arabia. This new land replaced the Nebatean kingdom of Petra.

The first evidence of Christians in the area dates to 451 when the community had its own Bishop on record. After this, the Umayyad Empire reigned until a massive earthquake levelled the city in 749.

It remained in ruins, uninhabited for the next 1,000 years.

In 1880, 90 Christian Arab families resettled here, the group led by two Italian priests. And in 1887, when one of these families was remodelling the floor of their humble home, the largest and most magnificent discovery was made.

Church of the Virgin Mary

After the discovery by the family, images of the Greek inscriptions on the mosaic, were sent to Madaba’s Roman Catholic pastor. This was the very first of Madaba’s famous mosaics to become known to scholars. The family who owned the residence remained there until 1972. At that time, the property was transferred to the Department of Antiquities and excavations began.

What was discovered was this ancient church built during the Byzantine era in the 6^th century. It was built upon an earlier mansion known now as the Hippolytus Hall. And that building was built upon and even earlier structure, a circular Roman temple. I mean does history get any better than this??

In these photo’s you can see the absolutely incredible and huge mosaic that takes centre stage in the church. Constructed of millions and millions of pieces of stone, it is overwhelming to witness in person.

Hippolytus Hall

Discovered by the same family in 1905, the Hippolytus Hall is completely fascinating too. See the entrance door with the pair of mosaic shoes? This is the first time I have seen such a thing. That detailed central rectangular mosaic is a depiction of the Greek tragedy ‘Hippolytus’ by Euripides.

In Byzantine mosaics, important cities were often represented as women. There is a panel here, that depicts Rome, George and Madaba as images of the female goddess Tyche, each seated on a throne.

Madaba Mosaic Map

The mosaic that put Madaba on the map, is a map. Discovered in 1884, it wasn’t until 1896 that the map came to the attention of scholars and by that time much of it was destroyed. Located inside a Greek Orthodox church called St. George, is the worlds oldest map of the Holy Land!

Created in the 5^th century, using countless tiny pieces of coloured stones, this small portion is all that is left of the once massive piece. It originally measured 15 meters by 6 meters.

What we see today, is an area that shows Lebanon in the north and the Nile delta in the south. The west is the Mediterranean Sea and to the east is Amman and even Petra.

But what is that in the centre of this most amazing mosaic? It is a detailed city map of Jerusalem, complete with individual streets and their names.

Standing here, in this empty church that is currently being remodelled and restored, I can see the Dead Sea with boats upon the water. Each individual building on the mosaic represents a village. There are palm trees and so many Greek words and names. The mosaic is dusty and dull due to the construction, but most importantly it is roped off, so it is safe.

Cost to enter and see the map is 1DR or $2 CAD. This is not included in the Jordan Pass but should not be missed if you are lucky enough to be in the city.

The Burnt Palace

Located inside the Archaeological Park II, the Burnt Palace contains some beauties. What was once a luxurious Byzantine residence, was destroyed by a massive fire after the earthquake that levelled the city.

After numerous digs through layers of solidified ash, these amazing mosaics emerged. Here see a second pair of mosaic shoes placed at the entrance to the residence. Those sinks or dips in the floor are there to collect the dirty wash water after the floor had been cleaned.

This is obviously such a small representation of what is here in Madaba. If you are a lover of all things ancient and mosaics and art specifically, this is the place for you. No matter how many of these sights I see, I am continually amazed at the creativity, resilience and skills of our human ancestors.