The second leg of our Jordan trip involved travelling to Petra, via Madaba, Mount Nebo, and the Montreal crusader castle. The route initially followed fairly minor roads, but for the largest part of the journey we went along the Desert Highway, a dual-carriageway. The alternative route – along what is called the King’s Highway – would probably have taken us through more impressive scenery, but would also have added hours to the journey time.
Madaba is less than an hour’s drive south of Amman. The area is known for its mosaics – often located in churches and monasteries – and we had the opportunity to visit several of them. One particularly impressive collection of mosaics was in an unremarkable looking building at the end of a rough road. It is owned by a local family and if you ask nicely – they will also appreciate a couple of dinar notes – they will unlock it for you. The shots below were taken there.
The dark spots on the photo above were the locations of fire places when the building was still inhabited.
To find places like that you will need some local knowledge. In our case Amer, our driver-cum-guide, was able to provide that. However, if you simply hire a car and go exploring on your own, I am sure that you will find plenty of people willing and able to point you in the right direction if you get lost.
You will not have any trouble locating the most famous mosaic in the region – the so-called Madaba Map – which can be found in the Greek Orthodox church (St. George’s Church) in the very centre of Madaba.
We were surprised that there was nobody else there when we looked around, but, as I pointed out before, tourist numbers have dropped dramatically. What also surprised us was that the mosaic was right in the middle of the floor, with the carpets and benches shoved out of the way for the time being. Clearly, when a service is conducted there, the furniture goes back on top of the map.
The Madaba Map apparently dates back to the 6th century and it was discovered in 1898 when the present church was erected on the site of an ancient Byzantine chapel. Unfortunately, the builders plonked a pillar right into the centre of the mosaic and destroyed other parts completely, but a large part of the original map is still there.
It shows a section of the Middle East, with delightful little images depicting towns, cities, lakes etc. and place names displayed in Greek. We managed to decipher a few of the names ourselves (the easy ones, such as Jericho and Bethlehem), but there is a visitor centre right next door which will help you with the rest and which also provides some further information about the mosaic and its wider importance.
A short walk from the church takes you to a small archaeological park, which contains some ruins and more mosaics. However, some of the mosaics are covered in bird droppings and the ruins are not particularly impressive. Below is a photo of the best mosaic we found and another one showing the park itself, with Madaba’s main mosque in the background.
Mount Nebo is the place where Moses is supposed to have first seen the Promised Land and it is only a short drive away from the centre of Madaba. There is a Memorial Church on the top of the hill, dating back to the 6th or 7th century.
The church itself was closed for restoration work during our visit, but the views from its terrace were well worth the short detour. There are also mosaics on display in a visitor centre next door and under a canopy just outside.
In the area around Madaba you will find a number of handicraft centres – ‘factories’ has the wrong connotations – where they produce mosaics of all sizes and a variety of purposes. We went to one such place and enjoyed being shown around. We were very impressed by the skills of the people working there. There was no pressure to buy anything – we didn’t.
After all the sightseeing we deserved lunch. Amer took us to a lovely family-run place (the ‘Food Basket’, locally known as ‘Hikayet Sitti’) where we enjoyed a huge assortment of mezes, followed by ‘upside-down chicken’ (depicted below).
It had been specially prepared for us – Amer had phoned ahead – and was fantastic. Essentially it was a whole chicken, cooked with vegetables, rice, and spices (cinnamon, cumin, ginger, etc.) and then turned upside down onto the serving platter in front of us. We struggled with the amount, but I think we (almost) did it justice. Thank you very much, Feria (the cook)!
It was already mid-afternoon when we set off for Petra. On the way there we wanted to see one of the crusader castles, variously referred to as Montreal, Shawbak, or Shobak Castle. I shall stick with the former name.
Montreal was constructed in the early 12th century – apparently by Baldwin I, but he must have had some help. It sits on a hilltop and affords excellent views of the surrounding countryside.
In its heyday it must have been very impressive indeed. When you wander around what is left of it, you realise that there are several levels underground. It almost seems as if the hillside underneath has been more or less hollowed out.
Montreal’s impressive position and fortifications did not save it from being taken over by its enemies. Indeed, it seems that it changed hands several times.
Petra is around 30km from Montreal and we got to our hotel just as the sun was setting behind the mountains.
We thought the sunset views were quite impressive – but at that stage we did not know that the next day would bring even more fabulous sights.
Next: Part 3, Petra
For links to the other parts of this series, please click HERE
Fascinating destination!