"A Great Alternative to Amman" a Madaba Travel Page by antistar

Madaba is a pleasant, relaxed, tolerant and easy-going little town famed for it's Byzantine mosaics and being the most Christian town in Jordan. All citizens of Madaba are proud of their Christian heritage, and all are proud of the tolerance between both Christians and Muslims in the city. The centrepiece of this Christian heritage is in the St. George's church with its "Map of Madaba", a map of the Holy Land built of tiny tiles in the floor of the Byzantine church in the 6th century.

The city is the perfect location for exploring the Holy Land, and Jordan as a whole, with many of the great sites of the country within easy reach. Mount Nebo, where Moses is believed to have seen the Holy Land for the first time, is just half an hour's drive away, and not much further is Bethany, where Jesus is believed to have been baptised. All of these places can be accessed either by good value taxis, or sometimes by public transport.

The best thing about Madaba is the Mariam hotel, a home away from home, with good prices, and a great manager. If you want to see Jordan, this is the place to come. I stayed for an entire week, and saw everything I wanted to, other than Wadi Rum. The city is a great place to base yourself, and the Mariam Hotel a great place to stay and recover from your long days of travelling in the country.

The town is small, however, and there isn't more to see here than an afternoon of wandering will give you. It's probably the least interesting place I visited in Jordan, but that's only because the places I saw in Jordan were so amazing. It's definitely worth a side trip if you are heading over to Mount Nebo and the Dead Sea from Amman, even if it is just a whistle stop tour of the important churches.