Personal creation from visual materials collected during my travel Jordan (2017)
Located in the semi-arid steppes of the Jordanian desert, the site of Um ar-Rasas is associated with the biblical establishment of Mephaat mentioned in the book of Jeremiah. Mephaat was one of the places condemned to destruction
The region was already populated at the start of the Bronze Age, from the 3rd millennium BC.
The Romans used the site as a military encampment and it was subsequently inhabited again by Christian and then Muslim populations.
The excavations undertaken on the site have brought to light vestiges of the Roman and Byzantine eras as well as objects dating from the beginning of the Moslem period.
One of the most important finds is the mosaic floor of the Saint-Etienne church, made towards the end of the 8th century. This perfectly preserved soil is the largest discovered in Jordan. These mosaics represent scenes of fishing and hunting as well as the main surrounding towns of the time.
Jerusalem became the center of the Christian world with the advent of pilgrimages to the sources of religion from the 4th century, and some pilgrims chose to settle in the desert and created monasteries there. Um ar Rasas then became an ecclesiastical center where many Byzantine churches were built.
Muslim armies entered Palestine during the first half of the 7th century and enjoyed the support of the Arabic speaking populations of the region who did not appreciate the Byzantine governance of the region. At this time, many mosaics were disfigured because of restrictive laws put in place against Christian images. And at that time many Christian religious buildings were abandoned.
Umm ar Rasas is located about 30 kilometers south-east of Madaba and is a densely populated site from the early Bronze Age. The site is mentioned in the bible (Jeremiah) under the name of Mephaat.
Listed as World Heritage by Unesco since 2004, a large part of the site remains buried and new excavations are necessary to bring the whole to light.
The most remarkable discoveries concern the mosaics constituting the floor of the church of Saint Stephen (dating from 786 AD). This mosaic floor is perfectly preserved and is the largest of its kind in Jordan.
East of the Jordan River a few kilometers south of Madaba, remarkable mosaics forming the floor of a 7th century church are part of a World Heritage Site. The place does not attract too many tourists, and the visit is very interesting, especially since you take your time perfectly to admire its wonders.
Music:
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