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| Madaba | ||
| Governorate | Madaba Governorate | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | unknown | |
no value for residents on Wikidata:  | ||
| height | 763 m | |
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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Madaba is a city in Jordanwhich is known for its numerous mosaics from the Byzantine period, especially the map mosaic.
background
In biblical times (mentioned for example in Joshua 13,9 ) to the kingdom Moab.
Later she came under the influence of the Nabataeans; around 106 AD it came to the province established under Emperor Trajan Arabia petraea. In the first century AD a splendid colonnade street was built by the Roman lords. Under the Byzantines, several richly decorated churches were built in Madaba, which was mentioned as a bishopric in 451, the mosaic floors of which survived the later destruction.
After the conquest by the Persians and a devastating earthquake in 749, the city was largely abandoned and sank into insignificance. Around 1890, when a new Greek Orthodox church was being built, a mosaic in the form of a map came to light in the rubble. Through the mosaic map depicting Jerusalem and other ancient sites on both sides of the Jordan, Madaba gained increasing tourist importance.
Today Madaba has about 80,000 inhabitants. The city is an important market place for the Bedouins in the area.
getting there
By plane
Madaba is only about 20 km west of the Queen Alia International Airport.
By train / bus
From the bus transfer point at 7th Circle in Amman is the 1 Bus station Reachable from Madaba in 30 minutes by bus or service taxi.
In the street
The city is on King's Highway about 35 km south of Amman. It is approx. 70 km to Kerak in the south and approx. 20 km to the Dead Sea in the west.
mobility
Madaba is a tranquil city, you can explore it on foot. The visitor center with toilet and bus parking is located approximately in the city center.
Tourist Attractions
The map
On the ruins of a Byzantine church, the construction of the 1 St George's Church began. A map came to light that was made around 550 AD from around 2 million pieces of the mosaic. It originally had the dimensions of 21 m by 6 m, today there are still approximately 16 m by 5 m areas left. Practically all of it is on this card Holy Land recognizable: it stretches from the Nile Delta in Egypt to southern Lebanon and from the Mediterranean to the Arabian desert. Cities are clearly recognizable and labeled with Greek names, images of people were partially destroyed during the reign of the Ummayads by moving or replacing pieces of the mosaic.
You can view this map in a slightly smaller format, but in a visitor-friendly vertical position, to the right of the St. George's Church.
A copy of this card hangs in the University of GöttingenFurther details on the card can be found at Wikipedia.
 Map of Madaba |  scaled down copy of the map |  Side altar of St. George's Church |
Sightseeing in Madaba
- 2 Church of the Apostles. Located directly at the southern entrance to the city on King's Highway, with beautiful mosaics.
- 3 Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist, Roman Catholic church from the 19th century, beautiful panoramic view of the city from the church tower; worth seeing the crypt with an underground museum.
- 4 Visitor center, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Madaba. At the visitor center, near a car park, you can get information about the location of the various mosaics, a mosaic school is located near the visitor center.
- 5 Archaeological Park. A number of mosaics are exhibited in the archaeological park, and nearby is a Roman road with wagon ruts.Price: 3 JOD, locals 0.25 JOD.
- 6 Burnt Palace, a palace from the 6th century. with well-preserved mosaic floors, which the earthquake of 749 AD. have survived.
- 7 Tel Madaba with the western acropolis, iron age fortifications
- The Cathedral
- Madaba Museum. The museum displays mosaics, jewelry and Jordanian costumes.
activities
shop
kitchen
nightlife
accommodation
health
Practical advice
trips
Mount Nebo
- 8 Mount Nebo
- A few kilometers outside in the direction of the Dead Sea is Mount Nebo at an altitude of 802 m. When the weather is clear, you have a wonderful view of the Dead Sea and the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley. At the point according to the Bible Moses was allowed to see the promised land, as in Deuteronomy 34,1-5 described, a church was built in 393. On the floor of their baptistery one found a mosaic with scenes from hunting and shepherding, among other things. The church is currently being looked after and restored by Franciscans. In 2000 it was visited by Pope John Paul II, a stone tablet and an olive tree planted by him commemorates the Pope's visit. Near the church is the sculpture as a picture of the copper snake, as it is in the 4. Moses 21,4-9 is mentioned.
 Couple in front of the chapel on Mount Nebo |  Mount Nebo: Copper Serpent |  Mount Nebo is a holy place for 3 religions |  Stein on the Pope's visit in 2000 |
Machaerus
- 9 Mukawir
- South of Madaba, after a 30 km drive, you come to the Biblical Machaerus, the fortress of Herod the Great. His son Herod Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded here after Salome had requested it (Markus 6,21-29 ).
Umm Ar-Rasas
- 10 Umm Ar-Resas
- or Umm Ar-Rasas is about 30 km southeast of Madaba. The floor mosaic of St. Stephen's Church is from the ancient city with four churches, which was only discovered a few decades ago and of which little has been excavated. The mosaic, created in 718, shows not only bird motifs, but also depictions of 15 cities in the Holy Land. It counts to the UNESCO world cultural heritage.
- That is a little south of it 11 Wadi Al-MujibWadi al-Mujib, an impressive canyon, in the bottom of which there is a dam for drinking water supply.
