Madaba is one of the most notable towns that the Holy Land of Jordan is proud of. Quite often, this town is called by its unofficial name – “the land of mosaics”. Having visited this settlement, tourists quickly understand that this name precisely describes Madaba. Fortunately, many precious Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics have survived here until modern times. The 4th-century map of Jerusalem with the image of the Holy Land is one of the most famous and widely recognized mosaic paintings in Madaba. Besides this masterpiece, more than two million colorful stones formed picturesque paintings that immortalize local hills and valleys. First mentions of the ancient Jordanian settlement appeared yet during the Bronze Age. The Bible mentioned Madaba several times as a Moabite border city. During the reign of the Roman and Byzantine empires in the 2nd to 7th century, the Jordanian city was a part of the Provincia Arabia. The Roman Emperor Trajan established that province. By doing this, he was trying to replace the Nabataean Kingdom formed earlier. The first evidence of a Christian community in the region in the historical documents dates back to 551 AD. This community even had its own bishop. After the formation of the Islamic Umayyad caliphate, Madaba became a part of the southern region of Jund Filastin. This district, in its turn, was a part of the province of Bilad al-Sham. Madaba was severely damaged during a devastating earthquake that happened in the area in 746.
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