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Churches of the Archaeological Park in Madaba


 A visit to Madaba is not complete and the religious and touristic itinerary does not end without visiting the archaeological park, which includes many churches and parts of the stone-paved Roman street, as well as buildings dating back to the Umayyad era and some heritage houses, in addition to the remains of the burned palace whose construction dates back to the seventh century AD. .

 

The most prominent churches in the park are: the Church of the Virgin, the Holipotus Hall, the Cave of Llanos, the Church of the Apostles, the Church of the Martyrs, and the Church of John the Baptist.

 

The tourist begins his tour to the museum and sees in the front façade the oldest mosaic mural, which includes amazingly beautiful pieces. The tourist walks on foot towards the ancient Roman street that extends in the city of Madaba from east to west, and leads to the gates of its ancient walls and extends underground for a long distance. It is also distinguished by its paved stones, surrounded by columns covered with a layer of solid dirt dating back to the Byzantine and Roman periods.

 

The tourist arrives at the Church of the Virgin, which was built in the early sixth century, and sees manuscripts made from the indented leaves of the acanthus plant, which contain hunting scenes and rural scenes of the four seasons in the form of a central square with knotted circles and Greek writing, while there is a long inscription in front of the temple barrier.

 

As for the third part of the park, it is the Church of the Prophet Elias and the Crypt of Saint Janus. The church is located on the southern side of the Roman Street, where the crypt was built and paved with mosaics in 595 AD.

 

Mosaic paintings are also present in the Church of the Apostles, which is considered one of the oldest churches in Madaba and has a religious, historical, and archaeological status. It is a Byzantine church built in 597 AD, and it was discovered in 1902. Its mosaic floors represent sea gods, some marine animals, plants, and geometric shapes. The floor of this church is considered one of the most ancient churches in Madaba. The largest well preserved mosaic floors.

 

As for the Church of the Martyrs, its construction dates back to the sixth century AD and it is one of the largest churches in Madaba. Stones from Roman buildings were used in its construction.

 

In the Church of John the Baptist, the tourist sees the ancient Moabite well, 9 meters deep and 12 wide, in addition to an icon of the beheading of John the Baptist, and vows are offered in the shrine inside the church.

 

The tourist then heads towards the Burnt Palace, which is considered a cultural, historical and religious heritage, as it contains mosaic floors representing daily life and an image of the so-called goddess of victory, Tyche. Archaeologists noticed during their excavations that this palace had been exposed to a fire in the past, and therefore they called it the “Burning Palace.”

 

During his visit to Madaba, the tourist sees ten churches containing within them the most wonderful and valuable works produced by the Madaba Mosaic School, where the visitor sees a realistic picture of daily life in the Byzantine era.

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