Mosaics in Madaba

Amman to Madaba

Distance: 38.4 km
Time elapsed: 2:19:00
Average speed: 16.6 km/ hr
Max speed: 54.7 km/ hr
Temp: 14 C
Weather: Sunny and windy

Once out of Amman Chris and I climbed several sets of hills along the highway heading to Madaba, a Christian town known for the amazing mosaics discovered covering several of the area's church floors. The city's downtown is quaint, lined with several tourist souvenir shops and restaurants, and with an easy walking route between the churches, now-delapidated-but-once-fabulous baits (homes), and museums.


Chris and the Madaba Christmas tree, lit by Jordan PCVs


Madaba's touristy streets

We arrived with plenty of time to stop in St. george's Greek Orthodox Church, which has an ancient floor map of the Holy Land. The map previously stretched 15 m across, though now only about 1/3 remains and it it badly faded. However, Mt Nebo, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, and the Sinai are all still clearly visable. The walls of the church are decorated with mosaic biblical scenes and people (99% men) which we assume were produced by students in the nearby mosaic school.


Inside St. George's church, full of mosaics!


Mosaic map of the Holy Land


Only female in the church's mosaic collection (Arlene: 10 points if you can name her)

We wandered through the city neighborhoods, discovering some ignored mosaics and talking with some English-speakers we met on the street, before ending with a quick look inside the Church of the Apostles, a warehouse-looking building with nothing inside save the enormous stretch of Byzantine motif mosaics.


Mosaics in the Church of the Apostles


Girl making mosaics in a Madaba shop

With nowhere to go and hours to kill, Chris and I splurged for dinner at a fancy restaurant in town, Haret Jdoudna (lit: ancestors neighborhood). This restored house now serves upscale Jordanian entrees and hookah, and features several local artisan craft shops. We ordered hummus, mutaffi bethanjan (fried eggplant with tahini), and spicy lamb sausage which came with a basket of deliciously hot and fresh mini pides. Almost completely empty of diners, the restaurant was festively decorated with Christmas frills and played upbeat Arabesque broadway musicals (instrumental, my guess was Mama Mia but Chris says its traditional Arab music).


Haret Jdoudna courtyard


Inside the Haret Jdoudna ma'taam (restaurant)

Now dark, we began cycling out of town to find a place to camp, hoping to find an olive grove at the edge of town. At the outskirts a van pulled over and two men leaned out to ask who we are and where we were going, almost immediately saying no, come home with us! So we followed them into a narrow city block and up some stairs to a spacious living room which quickly filled with children. In this 3-story house live 3 brothers and their families, with anywhere from 6-10 children each. Ismael, the youngest of the fathers and best English speaker laughed at our shock, saying this is their own basketball team.


Ismael and his kids, talking about Palestine

The family is actually Palestinian, which make up the vast majority in Jordan, whose parents came to Madaba in '47. They explained that their parents had a large home and lots of land with olives and grapes so good that 3 would fill you up. They even showed us the key their mother carried away with her, saying someday they dream to return and open the door to their family's house...


Key to a long lost home in Palestine