Madaba and Madaba Map
Set in the heart of a fertile plateau about 20 miles southwest of Amman, Madaba has a long and rich history. Known mostly for its mosaic floors and especially the ‘Madaba map,’ It is one of the most popular tour destinations in Jordan.
History and Archaeology of Madaba
Set along the King’s Highway, Madaba is first mentioned in the bible as a Moabite city (Numbers 21:30 and Joshua 13:9). Under Roman and Byzantine rule, Madaba thrived, but after the Muslim conquest of ‘Provincia Arabia,’ it rapidly declined and abandoned.
In the 1880s, the Catholic church invited Arab Christians from Karak to re-settle in Madaba. While constructing their homes, they discovered ancient buildings decorated with mosaic floors. The most famous discovery is the ‘Madaba Map,’ a mosaic floor from the 6th century depicting the Holy Land in detail. Considered the earliest map of the Holy Land, the map is made of about 1 million stones and probably took a year to complete.
Touring Madaba
Madaba’s main tour area is its archaeological park. It presents some of the ancient city’s main streets, several mosaic floors, and a Roman-era mansion. The mantion’s mosaic floor describes scenes from Greek Mythology relating to Hippolytus, yet later, it was covered by a Byzantine church. The Madaba map is displayed at Saint George Church, 800 feet west of the archaeological park.
A tour of Madaba can be combined with a multi-day tour of Jordan.
