Mādabā

Madaba stands on a fertile plateau east of the Dead Sea. A bishopric in late antiquity, the town was adorned with churches whose floors carried elaborate mosaics. One pavement depicts the Holy Land, including a detailed view of Jerusalem, with gates, streets and churches picked out in coloured stone. Madaba continued to prosper after the early Islamic conquest, although an earthquake and later changes in settlement left many of its buildings in ruins.