27 March, 2010
This morning I went to visit the citadel in Amman, which had been known in Old Testament times as Rabboth-Ammon, in Roman times as Philadephia, and in later times as Amman. It was a large and impressive site, with the remains of a very big Temple of Hercules there, built on an earlier temple site.
There were also lots of remains from the Islamic Ummayad era. From the citadel I could look down on the city, and the big theatre that had been built during the Roman period.
In the museum on the citadel there were some amazing things to see. I saw a piece of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and one of the oldest sculptures of a human form (or forms) ever discovered (from Ain Ghazal in Jordan, and dated to 6,500-8,000BC).
There were also lots of remains from the Islamic Ummayad era. From the citadel I could look down on the city, and the big theatre that had been built during the Roman period.
In the museum on the citadel there were some amazing things to see. I saw a piece of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and one of the oldest sculptures of a human form (or forms) ever discovered (from Ain Ghazal in Jordan, and dated to 6,500-8,000BC).
I did think that this sculpture had more than a passing resemblance to ET. Perhaps that's where Stephen Spielberg got his original idea from?
After leaving the citadel I headed off for the city of Madaba (about an hour from Amman), which has a large Christian population and is famous for its mosaics from the 6th and 7th century.
The first mosaic I saw was in St George's Greek Orthodox Church. It is famous because it is the earliest map of the Holy Land. At the top right you can see in darker type the Greek letters IOYDA, which in English are Iouda meaning Judea, and if you look carefully you can see the Jordan River running through the middle of the map (flows from the right, which is north, towards the Dead Sea in the south).
I visited the archaeological museum on my way through the town and saw this mosaic from Herod Antipas's mountain palace Machaerus (now known as Mukawwir) in Jordan, where John the Baptist was beheaded. The mosaic is dated from the first century AD.
After looking around Madaba for a while and getting myself a little lost in the back streets, I came to my final stop - the Apostles' Church. This Church was really only a roof over the original mosaics from the 6th and 7th centuries. There is a mosaics school in Madaba and the mosaics in this church are in the process of being restored by students of the school. The mosaics were amazing - and the caretaker at the site cleaned the dust off a few of the pictures for me and told me that I could walk on the mosaic and take close up photos - so here are a few.
After leaving the citadel I headed off for the city of Madaba (about an hour from Amman), which has a large Christian population and is famous for its mosaics from the 6th and 7th century.
The first mosaic I saw was in St George's Greek Orthodox Church. It is famous because it is the earliest map of the Holy Land. At the top right you can see in darker type the Greek letters IOYDA, which in English are Iouda meaning Judea, and if you look carefully you can see the Jordan River running through the middle of the map (flows from the right, which is north, towards the Dead Sea in the south).
I visited the archaeological museum on my way through the town and saw this mosaic from Herod Antipas's mountain palace Machaerus (now known as Mukawwir) in Jordan, where John the Baptist was beheaded. The mosaic is dated from the first century AD.
After looking around Madaba for a while and getting myself a little lost in the back streets, I came to my final stop - the Apostles' Church. This Church was really only a roof over the original mosaics from the 6th and 7th centuries. There is a mosaics school in Madaba and the mosaics in this church are in the process of being restored by students of the school. The mosaics were amazing - and the caretaker at the site cleaned the dust off a few of the pictures for me and told me that I could walk on the mosaic and take close up photos - so here are a few.
It struck me that the spirit of the mosaics in this church is one of great delight in creation and creativity. None of the mosaics I have depicted is on a specifically religious theme, but they all celebrate the Creator. I had definitely found the best at the end of my visit to Madaba, and I was grateful for the fact that I had got here despite a few wrong turnings.
I took the bus back to Amman, to go to the Anglican Church there for the Palm Sunday eve service that evening. The Church of the Redeemer had been beautifully decorated by the Arabic-speaking congregation.
For some reason - perhaps the familiarity of the liturgy, or perhaps because of connections with my time as a Chaplain in the Middle East, or perhaps because of some beautiful violin-playing - I found the service very moving. I wept as we sang the hymn that begins with the words "How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that he who gave his only Son should make a wretch his treasure...." Of all the myriad themes of God's blessings to humanity in creating our world and offering us life and new life in Christ, I find the love of God not just for me, but for all of us, the greatest wonder and source of praise.
1 comment:
Great history Peter.
Post a Comment