Umm er-Rassas

A rectangular walled city, about 30km southeast of Madaba, that is mentioned on both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. It was fortified by the Romans and local Christians were still embellishing it with Byzantine-style mosaics well over 100 years after the start of the Muslim Umayyad rule.

 

Excavations in Umm Ar-Rasas have uncovered some of the finest Byzantine church mosaics, including a large carpet depicting Old and New Testament cities on both the east and west banks of the Jordan River. Another feature at Umm Ar-Rasas walled settlement is a 15m Byzantine tower used by early Christian.

 

Just outside the city walls is the recently unearthed Church of Saint Stephen with its perfectly preserved outstanding mosaic floor, the largest of its kind to be discovered in Jordan and second only to the world-famous mosaic map at Madaba.

 

Umm Ar-Rasas is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.