The History - Ajloun rich History 

- The Ajloun area has a long history of human settlement, due to its Mediterranean climate, dense forests, and fertile soil. This rich history is reflected in the many archaeological ruins scattered in the woodlands and surrounding villages.

- In the village of Tubna, the visitor will find a Zeidani mosque and a meeting hall dating back to 1750 AD. The visitor will also find a structure known as “Al’ali Shreidah,” home of the governor of the region before the establishment of modern Jordan. The governor’s home was much admired by the contemporaries due to the fact that it was the first two-level building in the region.

- Settlement in Zubia Village – Ajloun Area dates back to the Byzantine period. There is an area in the village known as “the monastery,” which contains the remains of an old Byzantine church. There are also houses and stables dating back several hundred years. A spring located in a valley between Zubia and Tubna served as a major source of water for the surrounding settlements. 

- Today, there are more than ten villages surrounding the Ajloun Reserve. Some villagers are involved in farming crops such as grapes, figs and olives while others work in the public sector. The Ajloun area is famous for its olive trees and its assorted products.

- Ajloun Castle, more formally known as Qal’at Ar-Rabad, is the major ancient monument within the Ajloun region. It towers above the green hills and can be seen from many miles away, betraying its strategic purpose as a military watch post that protected the trade routes in the 12th-15th centuries. It was first built in 1184 by one of Saladin’s generals, Izzeddin Usama Mungidh, to repel the Crusader threats to north Jordan (the Crusaders had already occupied south Jordan, from their massive castles at Showbak and Karak, and were driven out of TransJordan in 1188/1189). The Ajloun castle was expanded into its current configuration in 1214.

- The castle is one of the best preserved and most complete examples of Medieval Arab-Islamic military architecture. Among its main features are a surrounding dry moat, a drawbridge into the main entrance, the fortified entrance gate (with decorative stone pigeon carvings), a massive south tower, and several other towers on all sides. The castle boasts a labyrinth of vaulted passages, winding staircases, long ramps, enormous rooms that served as dining halls, dormitories, and stables, a total of 11 water cisterns, and the private quarters of the Lord of the Castle (complete with a small stone bathtub and rectangular windows that convert into arrow-slits for defensive purposes).

- From the top of the castle, visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the Jordan Valley and the highlands of north Jordan. Excavations have recently identified a church that was built on the castle site in the earlier Byzantine period, while restoration and conservation works have made all areas of the castle accessible and safe for visitors.

Byzantine Cross

West Church, Umm al-Jimal, Jordan

 

This Byzantine cross has been inscribed as decoration on the inner surface of an arch. It's a variant of the equal-armed "Greek Cross," which is basically just a "plus sign." The more elaborate version here may refer to the four quarters of the world. 

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croix byzantine

Ouest église, Umm al-Jimal, la Jordanie 

Cette croix byzantine a été inscrit en tant que décoration sur la surface intérieure d'un arc. Il s'agit d'une variante de l'égalité des armes "croix grecque", ce qui est fondamentalement juste un "signe plus." La version plus élaborée ici peut se référer auxquatre coins du monde. 

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Croce bizantina

Occidente Chiesa, Umm al-Jimal, Giordania

Questa croce bizantina è stata iscritta come decorazione sulla superficie interna di un arco. E 'una variante della parità delle armi "croce greca", che è fondamentalmente soloun "segno più". La versione più elaborata qui possono fare riferimento ai quattro angoli del mondo.

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Cruz bizantina

Oeste Iglesia, Umm al-Yimal, Jordania

Esta cruz bizantina ha sido inscrito como decoración en la superficie interior de un arco.Es una variante de la de brazos iguales "cruz griega", que es básicamente un "signo más". La versión más elaborada aquí puede referirse a los cuatro puntos cardinales del mundo.

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byzantinische Kreuz

Westen Kirche, Umm al-Jimal, Jordanien

Das byzantinische Kreuz hat als Dekoration auf der Innenseite eines Bogenseingeschrieben. Es ist eine Variante des gleichen einarmigen "griechischen Kreuzes",das ist im Grunde nur ein "Plus-Zeichen." Die aufwendigere Version hier kann zu den vier Enden der Welt beziehen

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Βυζαντινή Σταυρού

Δύση Εκκλησία, Ουμ αλ-Jimal, Ιορδανία

Η Βυζαντινή αυτή σταυρό έχει εγγραφεί ως διακόσμηση στην εσωτερική επιφάνεια τουτόξου. Είναι μια παραλλαγή της ίσης ένοπλης «Ελληνική Σταυρό", το οποίο είναιουσιαστικά μόνο ένα «θετικό πρόσημο». Η πιο επεξεργασμένη εκδοχή εδώ μπορεί να παραπέμπει στα τέσσερα τέταρτα του κόσμου.

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Corbel Roof

West Church, Umm al-Jimal, Jordan

 

A corbeled roof, in which long cantilevered stones support the span of the ceiling, covers a side room off the apse. Vaults and domes were well-known to the architects of Umm al-Jimal, but corbeling is practical for small rooms because one doesn't have to construct a scaffolding. The possibility has also been raised that

corbeling at Umm al-Jimal may be a product, at least in some cases, of 20th century repairs by the Druze. 

South Arcade

West Church, Umm al-Jimal, Jordan

 

An arcade, a series of arches supported on piers, separates the nave of the church from the side aisle. It is seen here from inside the church. The wall above is pierced by clerestory windows, one of which is seen in the photo.

Umm al-Jimal has about fifteen churches, one for every 200 people. The churches were built in the 6th century AD.

Floor Mosaic

Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Jerash

A complex and pleasing design of diamonds overlaid upon squares includes volumetric swastikas, donor inscriptions (photo left), depictions of birds, sheep, and ungulates, and donor portraits (photo left, carrying basket).

Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian

Jerash, Jordan

This Byzantine church, located behind the pagan temple of Artemis, is dedicated by inscription to 533 AD. An example of its beautiful floor mosaics is seen on the next page. The Church of St. John the Baptist, whose mosaics have been removed to the Roman Theatre of Amman, shares a wall with this church.

Stork and Hound Mosaic

Original location: Jordan, Church of St. John the Baptist, Jerash, 529 A.D.

Current location (2005): Jordanian Museum of Popular Tradition, Roman Theatre, Amman

This fragment is from the southeast exedra of the church. Acanthus leaves and buds encircle the stork (upper right) and hound (lower left), interspersed with motifs of small swastikas.

Mural inside the new Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist next to the Jordan River, showing the baptism of Jesus that probably happened just outside the church

Murals inside the new Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist next to the Jordan River.

A modern Orthodox church dedicated to St. John the Baptist has been built next to the Jordan River as part of the development of the site. The small church has a golden dome and is painted with Byzantine-style murals inside

Marble tile fragments near the Byzantine Church of St. John the Baptist

A five or ten-minute walk through the "jungle" from the Jordan River leads into a clearing marked by a modern pool and the sheltered remains of the 7th-century Church of John the Baptist. Beneath a shelter is the altar and mosaic floor, which was originally raised up on an arched vault to protect it from flooding. Next to this are two more churches, built more or less on top of each other. The floor of the lower one is tiled in triangular, square and octagonal flags of marble.

Marble tile fragments near the Byzantine Church of St. John the Baptist.

Floor mosaic fragment in the 7th-century Church of John the Baptist.

Sheltered ruins of Church of John the Baptist 
A five or ten-minute walk through the "jungle" from the Jordan River leads into a clearing marked by a modern pool and the sheltered remains of the 7th-century Church of John the Baptist. Beneath a shelter is the altar and mosaic floor, which was originally raised up on an arched vault to protect it from flooding. Next to this are two more churches, built more or less on top of each other. The floor of the lower one is tiled in triangular, square and octagonal flags of marble

Umm al-Rasas (also spelled Umm ar-Rasas and Um er-Rasas) is an important archaeological site that was declared a World Heritage Site in 2004. Its structures date from the 3rd to 9th centuries and most have not yet been excavated. The site is especially known for its magnificent Byzantine mosaics, which have been uncovered in two churches dating from the 6th and 8th centuries.

History

This site has been inhabited since at least the Iron Age (7th century BC), as attested by artifacts such as a basalt pillar base and a stone scarab. In ancient times, it was a Moabite town called Kastron Mefaa. The prophet Jeremiah mentioned the city (as "Mephaath") in his condemnation of Moab (Jeremiah 48:21). The 4th-century church historian Eusebius recorded that a Roman army unit was stationed here.

Excavations began in 1986 at the north end of the site and have continued ever since. Most of the site still remains buried under rubble.

What to See

The jumbled ruins of Umm al-Rasas are enclosed inside a wall with gates on the north, south and east sides, with more structures spreading outside the walls to the north. Archaeologists have focused their work on the Byzantine churches, of which four inside the walls and 11 outside the walls have been discovered so far. In addition to the churches, two oil presses and a winery have been uncovered.

Inside the walls, the most notable ruins are two churches built into the east wall, the Church of the Rivers and the Church of the Palm Tree. Both are named for their mosaics and date from the 6th century. The area around the churches has also been excavated, revealing several arched rooms and a courtyard with wells and basins.

Outside the northeast corner of the walls is the Church of the Lions, named for its mosaic that includes two lions. Finally, at the northeastern corner of the site, are the two most famous churches at Umm al-Rasas - the Church of Bishop Sergius and the Church of St. Stephen - which are sheltered under a green hangar.

Bishop Sergius' Church (587 AD) lies to the north. Next to its altar is a rectangular mosaic floor decorated with rams, pomegranate trees, and an inscription dating the mosaics to the time of Bishop Sergius. The nave mosaic has portraits of donors and personifications of the Sea and Earth, but these were badly damaged by iconoclasts.

Mosaics of St. Stephen's Church

The celebrated Church of St. Stephen (785 AD) has a magnificent mosaic floor throughout the interior. The dedicatory inscription provided the date of the mosaic and, importantly, identified Umm ar-Rasas as the ancient city of Kastron Mefaa. Below the inscription are the outlines of donor portraits, which were removed by iconoclasts, and fruit trees.

The central panel of the nave mosaic - featuring roundels with agricultural and hunting motifs - is badly damaged, but it is the border that gets the most attention anyway. Creating a wide rectangular frame around the nave are mosaic depictions of 15 major cities as they appeared in the 8th century, each labeled in Greek. Those on the north side are in Palestine; those on the left are in Jordan.

Jerusalem has pride of place next to the altar, labeled as "Holy City" (HAΓIA ΠΩΛIC). Next to it is Kastron Mefaa itself, represented by a pillar and a church. The remaining Jordanian cities are Philadelphia (Amman), Madaba, Esbounta (Hesban), Belemounta (Ma'in), Areopolis (Rabba) and Charachmoba (Karak). Beneath Jerusalem are the Palestinian cities of Nablus, Sebastis, Caesarea, Dispolis (Lidda), Eleutheropolis (Beit Gibrin), Askalon and Gaza. At the top of the side aisles are two more Jordanian towns, Limbon and Diblaton.

Stylite Towers

Two square towers north of Umm al-Rasas were probably used by stylite hermits, who once flourished in this part of the world. These hardy souls spent many years living in austerity atop a pillar, often attracting many admirers below. The most famous of these hermits is St. Simeon Stylites whose church still survives in Syria.

UNESCO notes that these towers are "probably the only remains of the practice." They are solid inside except for a small room at the top. The east face has a carved niche and the remaining sides are carved with Greek crosses. Near the towers are various ruins, include a little church with an apse (east of the tower).

Quick Facts

Site Information
Names:	Umm al-Rasas; Um er-Rasas; Umm ar-Rasas; Kastrom Mefa'a; Kastron Mefaa, Mephaath
Location:	Jordan
Faith:	Christianity
Categories:	City Ruins; Churches; World Heritage Sites
Architecture:	Byzantine
Date:	3rd-9th centuries
Features:	Byzantine Mosaics
Status:	ruins
Visitor Information
Coordinates:	31.50089° N, 35.920519° E   (view on Google Maps)
Lodging:	View hotels near this location

Madaba is a medium-sized city in Jordan, located 25km southwest of Amman. Madaba has become known as the "City of the Mosaics" for the many Byzantine mosaics that have been uncovered throughout the city. The most famous of these is the Madaba Map, a 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land.

History

Madaba has a very long history stretching from the Neolithic period. The town of Madaba was once a Moabite border city, mentioned in the the Bible in Numbers 21:30 and Joshua 13:9.
During its rule by the Roman and Byzantine Empires from the second to the seventh centuries AD, the city formed part of the Provincia Arabia set up by the Roman Emperor Trajan to replace the Nabataean kingdom of Petra. During the the rule of the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate, it was part of the southern Jund of Palestine.
The first witness of a Christian community in the city, with its own bishop, is found in the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, wherein Constantine, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bostra, the provincial capital, signed on behalf of Gaiano, "Bishop of the Medabeni."
The resettlement of the city ruins by 90 Christian families from Kerak in the south, led by two Italian priests from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1880, saw the start of archaeological research. This in turn supplemented substantially the scanty documentation available.
The first mosaics were discovered, purely by chance, during the building of the new permanent dwellings using squared-up stones from the old monuments. The new inhabitants of Madaba, made conscious of the importance of the mosaics by their priests, made sure that they took care of and preserved all the mosaics that came to light.
The mosaic map of Madaba was discovered in 1896; the findings were published a year later. This discovery attracted the attention of scholars worldwide. It also positively influenced the inhabitants who shared the contagious passion of F. Giuseppe Manfredi, to whose efforts we owe the discovery of most of the mosaics in the city. Madaba became the "City of Mosaics" in Jordan.
The northern part of the city turned out to be the area containing the greatest concentration of mosaic monuments. During the Byzantine-Umayyad period, this northern area, crossed by a colonnaded Roman road, saw the building of the Church of the Map, the Hippolytus Mansion, the Church of the Virgin Mary, the Church of Prophet Elijah with its crypt, the Church of the Holy Martyrs (Al-Khadir), the Burnt Palace and the Church of the Sunna' family.

What to See

The Madaba Mosaic Map is a map of Holy Land dating from the 6th century AD, preserved in the floor of the Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George.
With two million pieces of colored stone, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta. The mosaic contains the earliest extant representation of Jerusalem, labeled the "Holy City" (Η ΑΓΙΑ ΠΟΛΙC). The map has been a major key in developing scholarly knowledge about the physical layout of Jerusalem after its destruction and rebuilding in 70 AD.
Hundred of other mosaics from the 5th through the 7th centuries are scattered throughout Madaba. Other mosaic masterpieces - such as in the Church of the Virgin, the Church of the Apostles and the Archaeological Park - depict flowers and plants, birds and fish, animals and exotic beasts, as well as scenes from mythology and everyday pursuits of hunting, fishing and farming.

Quick Facts

Site Information
Names:	Madaba Mosaic Map
Location:	Madaba, Jordan
Category:	Churches
Architecture:	Byzantine
Features:	Byzantine Mosaics
Visitor Information
Coordinates:	31.717663° N, 35.794283° E   (view on Google Maps)
Lodging:	View hotels near this location

Floor Mosaic
Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, Jerash

A complex and pleasing design of diamonds overlaid upon squares includes volumetric swastikas, donor inscriptions (photo left), depictions of birds, sheep, and ungulates, and donor portraits (photo left, carrying basket).

Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian
Jerash, Jordan
This Byzantine church, located behind the pagan temple of Artemis, is dedicated by inscription to 533 AD. An example of its beautiful floor mosaics is seen on the next page. The Church of St. John the Baptist, whose mosaics have been removed to the Roman Theatre of Amman, shares a wall with this church.