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Photo: Bashar Tabbah, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A UNESCO World Heritage Site which contains ruins from the Roman, Byzantine, and early Muslim civilizations. The majority of the site has not been excavated. The most important discovery on the site was the mosaic floor of the Church of St Stephen. It was made in 785 (discovered after 1986). The perfectly preserved mosaic floor is the largest one in Jordan. On the central panel hunting and fishing scenes are depicted while another panel illustrates the most important cities of the region (including Kastron Mefaa, Philadelphia, Madaba, Esbounta, Belemounta, Areopolis, Charac Moaba, Jerusalem, Nablus, Caesarea and Gaza).
Umm ar-Rasas is located 30 km southeast of Madaba in the Amman Governorate in central Jordan. It was once accessible by branches of the King's Highway, and is situated in the semi-arid steppe region of the Jordanian Desert. The site has been associated with the biblical settlement of Mephaat mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah. The Roman military utilized the site as a strategic garrison, but it was later converted and inhabited by Christian and Islamic communities. In 2004, the site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is valued by archaeologists for its extensive ruins dating to the Roman, Byzantine, and early Muslim periods. The Franciscan academic society in Jerusalem, Studium Biblicum Franciscanum (SBF), carried out excavations at the north end of the site in 1986, but much of the area remains buried under debris.
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Small church with nice, large mosaics on the floor. Not inside the Archaeological Park but further off.
Interesting 19th-century church which has underground rooms hosting a museum, and a church bell tower to climb to see a full view of Madaba. Regarding the beheading see also Machaerus below.
The highlight of Madaba, this is where to see many of the ancient mosaics discovered.
A few more rooms of mosaics, pottery and jewellery. Also includes an outside courtyard area with ancient statues.
Local information and free, clean toilets.