When I was a kid, I’ve gotten used to
completing mosaic puzzles my parents love to buy for me. I guess, that’s where
I started visualizing places as most of the pictures I solved where of
mountains, oceans, cityscape and even world maps. This is the reason why upon
learning that our first stop would be in a church featuring an
ancient mosaic map of Jerusalem and its
surrounding biblical places, my enthusiasm was further buoyed.
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| Saint George Church in Madaba |
6th Century Mosaic Map
According to its description, the
Mosaic Map of Madaba dates back to the 6th century. It charts a total of 157
Biblical sites in the Holy Land including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
After it was completed, the mosaic is believed to have comprised of over 2
million tile pieces and was embedded to the floor of a Byzantine Church.
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| the 6th-century Madaba Mosaic Map shows many Biblical locations |
However, the years of Madaba
being a highly populated city came to an abrupt halt following a devastating
earthquake in 746. Soon, the citizens abandoned the city and much of the
Byzantine-era structures was buried under a pile of rubble and Earth.
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| Trying to find Jerusalem on the Madaba Mosaic Map |
The mosaic map was unearthed in
1884—still attached to the original floor—after a Greek Orthodox Church was constructed
on top of a ruins of a pre-6th century Byzantine Church. Illustrated from a bird’s eye view, the Madaba
Map clearly charts ancient Jerusalem even mapping out the main streets and
churches in the city.
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| Impressive Religious paintings and chandeliers can be seen inside St. George Church |
The mosaic map guided archaeologists in digging and
discovering more ancient ruins particularly the remains of the Cardo Maximus
and the New Church of Theotokos—also referred to as The Nea—, a church built in
Jerusalem by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 1543 and was later destroyed by
the invading Persians in 614.
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| The Madaba Mosaic Map is found under this apse of Saint George Church |
Today, what's left of the
Madaba Mosaic Map can be seen on the apse—a crescent recess roofed by a
hemispherical arch—of the modern-day Church of Saint George. Other than the
aforementioned Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Nea Church, other notable
places that can still be viewed on the map are: the place of John the Baptist's
Baptism, the old city of Jerusalem, Zion Gate, the Tower of David, Damascus
Gate, the Golden Gate and the Cardo Maximus.
The Mosaic City of Madaba
Since we alighted from our bus
at a parking lot located almost 700 meters from the church of Saint George, we
were gifted with an opportunity to explore a small part of Madaba. Doing so, we
passed by streets filled with shops selling mosaic artworks, coffee and tea
shops and through a small market place before reaching the Church. Madaba, as I
learned later, is composed mainly of Christians who comprises a third of its
population. If you are doubting whether
religious tolerance is present in Jordan, then Madaba will assure you that it
does.
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| Standing by the entrance to Saint George Church |
If only I am not part of a tour
group—on a travel writing assignment—and have the freedom to exercise any whims of
spontaneity, then I would have preferred spending a few days in Madaba, as I learned after
my trip, the city keeps several more fascinating archaeological sites and
ancient structures.
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| Fancy mosaic artworks are sold on the streets near St. George Church |
I guess, the more reasons to
dream of another trip to Jordan someday.
