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Madaba (; Biblical Hebrew: Mēḏəḇāʾ; Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, § M449.6 Flavius Josephus, Antiquitates Judaicae, § 13.15.4 Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, § G203.15) is the capital city of Madaba Governorate in central Jordan, with a population of about 60,000. It is best known for its Byzantine art- and Umayyad-period mosaics on Christian art and Greco-Roman mythological subjects, especially a large Byzantine-era Madaba Map. Madaba is located on the Madaba Plateau, south-west of the capital Amman.
The first evidence for a Christians community in the city, with its own bishop, is found in the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon in 451, where Constantine, Metropolitan Archbishop of Bostra (the provincial capital) signed on behalf of Gaiano, "Bishop of the Medabeni." It was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate in 629 after the Battle of Mut'ah.
During the rule of the Islamic Umayyad Caliphate, it was part of the southern district of Jund Filastin within the Bilad al-Sham province.
The Catholic Church's list of uses the spelling "Medaba", in reference to the ancient bishopric located in this city, while referring to the modern city as "Madaba". Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 926
Today, the city is the seat of Madaba Governorate and is the 9th-biggest city in Jordan, with a population of 122,008 as of 2021.
The northern part of the city turned out to be the area containing the greatest concentration of mosaics. 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, the Church of the Sunna' family, and the church of the salaita family.
The Madaba Map mosaic was discovered in 1884 during the construction of the church of St. George, but was only properly investigated more than a decade later in 1896 after it was witnessed by Father Kleopas Koikyides, the librarian of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. In 1897, he published a reliable sketch and his findings on the relic in a commentary in Greek entitled: The Geographical Madaba Mosaic Map on Syria, Palestine and Egypt.
The Madaba Map dates from the 6th century and is preserved in the floor of the modern Greek Orthodox Basilica of Saint George, sometimes also called the "Church of the Map". With two million pieces of coloured stone, the map depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns in Palestine and the Nile Delta. The mosaic contains the earliest extant representation of Byzantine Jerusalem, labeled the "Holy City." The map provides important details about its 6th-century landmarks, with the cardo, or central colonnaded street, and the church of the Holy Sepulchre clearly visible. This map is one key in developing scholarly knowledge about the physical layout of Jerusalem after its destruction and rebuilding in 70 AD.
Other mosaic masterpieces found in the Church of the Virgin and the Apostles and the Archaeological Museum, depict a profusion of flowers and plants, birds and fish, animals and exotic beasts, as well as scenes from mythology and everyday pursuits of hunting, fishing and farming. Hundreds of other mosaics from the 5th through the 7th centuries are scattered throughout Madaba.
The University of Toronto has been excavating in Madaba from 1996 until the present. Their efforts have focused primarily on the west acropolis where an open field has allowed access to uncover the entire sequence of occupation at Madaba from the modern period down to the Early Bronze Age levels. The most visible feature of this area is a fortification wall built sometime in the 9th century BC, with subsequent rebuilds throughout its history. There is also the remains of a well-preserved Byzantine-era house at the base of the fortification wall. The Tell Madaba Archaeological Project (TMAP)
In 2010, a 3,000-year-old Iron Age temple containing several figurines of ancient deities and circular clay vessels used in religious rituals was discovered at Khirbat 'Ataroz near Mabada.
In Khirbat Ataruz
Khirbat Ataruz, also known as Ataroth, is mentioned prominently in the Mesha stele and its ruins are located in Madaba Governorate, outside of Madaba city. It was conquered by Israelite King Omri, as discussed in the Mesha stele, Book of Numbers 32, and 2nd Books of Kings 3:4–27. The oldest inscription in the Moabite language script, dated to the late 9th or early 8th century BC, was found at Khirbat Ataruz.
Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration
The Institute of Mosaic Art and Restoration was founded in 1992 as the Madaba Mosaic School, and funded by the Italian government. It was a high school which offered the Tawjihi, the Jordanian equivalent of a high school diploma. In 2007, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, under the Department of Antiquities, partnered with USAID's Siyaha tourism development project, and the Italian government to launch the institute as a two-year, post-secondary educational program. The institute offers diplomas in Mosaic Art Production and Restoration. The institute is located between the Madaba Visitors Center and the Madaba Archaeological Park.
Climate
Madaba has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa). Most rain falls in the winter. The average annual temperature in Madaba is . About of precipitation falls annually.
Points of interest
International relations
Twin towns – sister cities
Madaba is twinned with:
See also
Bibliography
External links
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