The floor of this small church holds the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, a 6th-century mosaic showing the streets of Jerusalem.
About Saint George’s Church
The mosaic was created in the 6th century during the Byzantine period, when Madaba was a thriving Christian town renowned for its mosaic workshops. The map was rediscovered in the late 19th century when the present church was built over the ancient remains. Despite damage over the centuries, the surviving portion has proved an invaluable source for understanding the geography and holy sites of the Byzantine-era Holy Land.
What Saint George's Church is
Saint George's Church in Madaba is a modest Greek Orthodox church that holds an extraordinary treasure: the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, a 6th-century mosaic laid into its floor. Known as the Madaba Map, this ancient masterpiece draws visitors and scholars from around the world to a town famous as the city of mosaics.
“Saint George's Church in Madaba is a modest Greek Orthodox church that holds an extraordinary treasure: the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, a 6th-century mosaic laid into its floor.”
The Oldest Map of the Holy Land
The Madaba Map is a mosaic floor created around the 6th century AD, depicting the Holy Land from Egypt to Palestine, with Jerusalem at its centre shown in remarkable detail, including its streets, gates and churches. Though only part of the original survives, it remains the oldest known geographic floor mosaic and the earliest surviving cartographic depiction of the region, an invaluable record of how the ancient world saw the sacred landscape.
The Experience
Entering the working Orthodox church to find, set into the floor, the famous mosaic map, its tiny coloured tesserae depicting cities, rivers, the Dead Sea with boats, and a detailed Jerusalem. Information panels help you read its features. The chance to study an intact ancient map, made of stone and still in its church, is unique, and it anchors a visit to Madaba's wider mosaic heritage.
Why It Matters
Saint George's Church and its Madaba Map are of global importance for the study of the Holy Land's history, geography and early Christianity. The map is a rare survival, the oldest of its kind, making the church one of the most significant religious and historical sites in Jordan.
Why Visit
The famous Madaba Map, the oldest surviving map of the Holy Land, a 6th-century mosaic floor with a detailed Jerusalem, in a working Orthodox church.
Insider Tips
- 1
Study the mosaic map's detailed depiction of Jerusalem.
- 2
It is a working church; visit outside service times.
- 3
Information panels help you read the ancient map.
- 4
Combine it with Madaba's other famous mosaics.
