The Jordanian city of Madaba can be repeatedly found on the pages of the Holy book of Christians, the Bible. It has always been a significant city in the history of the Christian world.

Today, this city is a center of pilgrimage, thanks to its ancient churches and valuable relics. For example, the Church of St. John the Baptist with the Holy particles of the head of the saint and the Basilica of St. George that is famous throughout the world for its ancient mosaics and icons of Russian masters. Its stone walls and massive columns are richly decorated with nineteenth-century mosaics depicting scenes from the Bible.

The total number of mosaics in this ancient church can amaze even the most sophisticated traveler. However, the main attraction of the shrine is located on the floor. Once it shocked all historians and scientific researchers in the world.

It is all about a huge mosaic canvas with an area of 125 square meters, which consists of 2 million small stones of different colors and shapes. It is called the Madaba Map. This fantastic panel of Byzantine masters, which has no analogs, dates back to the 6th century AD.

It was discovered in 1894, during the construction of an Orthodox Church on the site of the ruins of an ancient monastery built during the reign of the Emperor Justinian I.

The unique panel is a real masterpiece of mosaic art, that accurately reproduces the ancient geographical map of the Holy Land with the center in Jerusalem, where you can see a magnificent image of the city gate and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The entire map covers vast territories, from the Levant to the Holy Nile Delta, and shows the location of about 160 objects: several cities, deserts, mountains, rivers, and lakes. From the earliest times until the 19th century, it was considered the most accurate topographic map of Palestine, thanks to which modern archaeologists were able to find out the coordinates of important historical monuments and start excavating ancient settlements.

All geographical features are incredibly accurately depicted on the ancient map. To this day, it remains a big mystery of how this became possible in those days.

Unfortunately, the map of Madaba is only partially preserved: many fragments are missing. However, this impressive mosaic canvas with an area of 80 square meters is quite enough to make a strong impression and leave unforgettable memories.