“The floor of a church in Madaba holds the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, a sixth-century mosaic of two million stones with Jerusalem at its centre.”
About Madaba
Madaba has been inhabited since the Bronze Age and flourished under Byzantine and early Islamic rule, when its churches were paved with elaborate mosaics. The famous Madaba Map was created around 560 CE and rediscovered in 1884 during the building of a new church on an older site. The town remains a centre of mosaic craft and restoration.
Overview Madaba is the 'City of Mosaics', a town south of Amman famous for the Byzantine and Umayyad mosaic floors scattered through its churches and houses. The most celebrated is in the Greek Orthodox Church of St George: a sixth-century map of the Holy Land laid in two million coloured stones, the oldest surviving cartographic depiction of the region, with Jerusalem at its centre.
Overview Madaba is the 'City of Mosaics', a town south of Amman famous for the Byzantine and Umayyad mosaic floors scattered through its churches and houses.
A Living Mosaic Town Beyond the famous map, Madaba's archaeological park and church floors hold dozens of mosaics, and the town still trains mosaic artisans. It makes a natural base for Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea nearby.
The Experience
Inside the modest Church of St George you look down at the worn but legible map spread across the floor, picking out labelled cities and the columned street of Jerusalem. Around town, the archaeological park and other church floors reveal more mosaics, and workshops show artisans cutting and setting stone by hand.
Why It Matters
Madaba holds one of the most important early Christian artefacts in existence, the Madaba Map, and preserves a concentration of Byzantine mosaic art that makes it a key heritage town in Jordan.
Madaba holds one of the most important early Christian artefacts in existence, the Madaba Map, and preserves a concentration of Byzantine mosaic art that makes it a key heritage town in Jordan.
Why Visit
The Madaba Map is a singular object, a working map made fourteen centuries ago, and the town is a relaxed base for Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea. See the map first thing before tour groups, then seek out the lesser-known floors nearby.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
See the Madaba Map in St George's Church early, before tour groups fill the small interior.
- 2
Visit the archaeological park and other church floors for mosaics most visitors miss.
- 3
Use Madaba as a base for Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea, both a short drive away.
- 4
Look for working mosaic workshops in town if you want to understand the craft.
