Jordan Day 10/15: Madaba

The city of Madaba was a major city during the Byzantine era. During the reign of Justinian (527-565), a church was built with a very large mosaic map of the Holy Land. It was originally about 50x20 feet. Five other churches from the same time with intricate mosaics were also found in Madaba, giving it the name "the city of mosaics."

In about 746, Madaba was destroyed by an earthquake. The city remained abandoned until Christians from Karrak moved there to escape conflict with the Muslims. The map was discovered while clearing rubble of the old church in order to build the current Church of St George on the site in 1884. Restoration of the map was not done until 1965.

St George is an Orthodox Church. In Jordan, a majority of Christians belong to the Orthodox faith.