Madaba, Church of St. George

This town is one of the most memorable places in the Holy Land - Madaba, "the City of Mosaics." Amongst them, the chief attraction - in the contemporary Greek Orthodox church of St. George - is a wonderfully vivid, 6th century Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and other holy sites. With two million pieces of coloured stone and a full 25x5 metres in its original state - most of which can still be seen today - the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns, as far away as the Nile Delta. This masterpiece is unrivalled in Jordan, but there are literally dozens of other mosaics from the 5th through the 7th centuries, scattered throughout Madaba's churches and homes.

In line with Jordan's commitment to restoring and preserving its mosaic master-pieces, Madaba's extensive archaeological park and museum complex encompasses the remains of several Byzantine churches, including the outstanding mosaics of the Church of the Virgin and the Hyppolyus Hall, part of a 6th century mansion.Read more