Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
four seasons in each corner and notice the beautiful depictions of flowers and birds. The
middle section shows characters from the classic Greek Oedipal tragedy of Phaedra and
Hippolytus. The upper image shows Adonis and a topless Aphrodite spanking naughty,
winged Eros, while the Three Graces (daughters of Zeus, representing joy, charm and
beauty) float nearby.
The
Church of the Virgin Mary
, included in the site, was built in the 6th century and
was unearthed beneath the floor of someone's house in 1887. The central mosaic, thought
to date from AD 767, is a masterpiece of geometric design.
Archaelogical Park II (Burnt Palace)
(Hussein bin Ali St; 8am-3pm Sun-Thu Oct-Apr, to 5.30pm Sun-Thu May-
Sep)
Walkways lead around the ruins of this late-6th-century luxury private mansion, des-
troyed by fire and earthquake around AD 749. From this vantage point, there's a good
view of assorted mosaics, the best of which are the hunting sequences in the east wing,
and the lion attacking a bull in the west wing.
On the site (which takes more imagination than most) is the continuation of the ancient
Roman road
that runs through what is now the Archaeological Park, as well as the 6th-
century
Martyrs Church
, which was destroyed in the 8th century. If the on-site guard is
willing, ask to see the buried mosaics of the church: protected from the light by sand until
restoration takes place, the few tesserae (squares) of buried mosaic that he'll expose for
you are astonishing in the vibrancy of their colour.
MOSAIC
MUSEUM
Dar Al-Saraya
(Talal St)
The administrative centre of the Ottomans, this grand old building was subse-
quently used as the headquarters of the British administration in 1922. While not yet open
to visitors, this newly restored structure near Madaba's hilltop is planned as the new home
of the Madaba Museum. In the meantime, the adjacent plaza makes a good place to catch
the breeze.
Shrine of the Beheading of John the Baptist (Latin Church)
( 3244065; Talal St; 9am-5pm)
This operational early 20th-century Roman
Catholic Church has recently been transformed into an intriguing destination for visitors
and pilgrims by the restoration of the ancient sites upon which the church sits. The
church
facade
was built with ancient stones, and Roman columns with Corinthian capitals dot the
courtyard. In the 19th-century chapel, which now acts as a visitors centre and gift shop,
MUSEUM
