Jerusalem Mosaic in the Church of the Map (Madaba, Jordan)

The unassuming Church of St George (a.k.a., “The Church of the Map”) in Madaba, Jordan, contains an impressive, and by far the most well-known, mosaic in the Holy Land. The mosaic is much more interesting from a historical perspective than from aesthetic standpoint (the rendering is rather atypically poor, in my opinion, when compared to the other 6th century mosaics in the city).

• The floor mosaic dates from the second half of the 6th century and represents a map of the geography of the Holy Land in the 6th century.
• The viewing “perspective”.  The depiction is from an oblique perspective (angled, not parallel or perpendicular to your line of site), specifically, an perspective from high above to the west.  This perspective is interesting, because it would not be the perspective that you would have if you were viewing the site from Jordan (east of Jerusalem); but rather, the western perspective is telling, in that it is more reflective of a Byzantine perspective (Constantinople was west of Jerusalem).  This could speak to where the artisans who built this map were originally from; in any case, it indicates that this mosaic map was likely based on an earlier map designed by or for Byzantine travelers.  Remember, in the 6th century, Jerusalem was controlled by the Byzantine Empire; this would continue until the city fell to Islamic forces in 638.
• While the full range of the Holy Land is represented, the central and most easily recognizable image on the map is that of Jerusalem. The only element conspicuously missing from the city’s representation is the Temple Mount (note that the Temple Mount was not developed at this point, and its two current-day architectural edifices, the Dome of the Rock and the El-Aqsa Mosque, had yet to be built). The most clearly discernible element is the Holy Sepulchre (originally built 336-345 CE under the Byzantine Emperor Constantine).

Tips on visiting the Church of the Map: This is bound to be the busiest site and is probably best visited in the late afternoon, by which time most tourist groups have already moved on.

The Archaeological Park

Mosaics in the Archaeological Park (Madaba, Jordan

This site offers the most impressive mosaics in the Madaba, from at technical perspective, in our opinion. The Hippolytus Hall mosaic is the highlight, which dates from the early 6th century. Note how much superior the detail is in these depictions than those even done later in the same century, highlighting that the early 6th century was a peak stylistic period. Note the use of small tessera, particularly in the area of the face, that yields high plastic detail.

The Church of the Apostles.

This church houses a mosaics that dates from 568; however, it is tough to visit this church due to its abbreviated opening times — we tried twice, only to find it closed both times. Good luck and please give us a tip for getting in during our next visit!