Left: The church.
Above: Our Jordanian guide points out features of the map on a model outside the church.
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The mosaic map on the floor of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church is the oldest, existing map of the Holy Land and is dated to the middle of the 6th century AD. It was rediscovered in the late 19th century and the present church was built above it. The map stretched across the entire width of the original church and contained about 2 million pieces but only about 1/4 of the original map still exists. The map was surprisingly accurate. In addition to the map mosaic in the floor, the church has many other beautiful paintings and mosaics on its walls. Many other mosaics have been found in Madaba and new mosaics are still being produced there. If you would like to learn more about the church and its mosaic you might want to click on this link: Mosaic art source blog. |
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Left: The church. Above: Our Jordanian guide points out features of the map on a model outside the church. |
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Two parts of the Mosaic map. |
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Three of the paintings (above) |
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A recently rebuilt street near the church |
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We stopped at a nearby place where mosiacs are still being produced. Many of the workers are handicapped. The mosaic tables cost several thousand dollars. |
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Copyright 2010 James and Danielle Brink. Permission is given for non-commercial use.
Last revision: 4/1/2010