Midba Map of Jerusalem

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With this photo we’re going to journey back to the 7th century, visit Jordan, and back to the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem to retell the story of an ancient map of Jerusalem
Ron Peled, AllAboutJerusalem.com

The Midba map (as you can see in the photo below) is the earliest pictorial source of Jerusalem, dating back to the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian who reigned during the 7th century.  The original mosaic was discovered in the city of Midba in Jordan on the floor of a church.
If you look closely at the mosaic you will see a main street running throughout the city primarily from left to right – known as The Cardo (means ‘axis’ in Latin) which formed the main streets and focal axes of typical Roman cities.

One of the copies of this map (in the photo) is located in the Cardo, the old Jerusalem street from the 7th century.  The Greek letters at the top left side of the map spell ‘Jerusalem’ in Latin.

Midba Map of Jerusalem

Photo: Ron Peled

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