Umm ar-Rasas mosaics



The Umm ar-Rasas mosaics are a number of Byzantine mosaics discovered by Michele Piccirillo in the ruins of the Church of St. Stephen in Umm ar-Rasas, Jordan, in 1986.

Of particular note is a mosaic floor dated to 785, the largest one in Jordan, with a series of panels illustrating the most important cities of the region.

Outer frame, left (northern) side
A series of eight cities in Palestine are shown in the frame:
 * Jerusalem (Hagia-polis [Holy City])
 * Nablus (Neapolis)
 * Sebastia (Sebastis)
 * Caesarea
 * Lydda (Diospolis)
 * Eleutheropolis (Bayt Jibrin)
 * Ashkelon (Askalon)
 * Gaza

Outer frame, right (southern) side
Seven cities in Transjordan are shown in the frame:
 * Kastron Mefaa (Umm er-Rasas)
 * Philadelphia (Amman)
 * Madaba
 * Esbounta (Heshbon)
 * Belemounta (Ma'in)
 * Areopolis (Rabba)
 * Charachmoba (Al-Karak)

Two additional cities are shown at the head of each aisle:
 * Limbon
 * Diblaton

Inner frame
The inner frame includes illustrations of ten cities in the Nile Delta:
 * Alexandria
 * Kasin (Ras Kouroun)
 * Thenesos
 * Tamiathis
 * Panau
 * Pelusium
 * Anticiaou(?)
 * Eraklion (either Heracleopolis Parva / Sethroë or Heracleion)
 * Cynopolis
 * Pseudostomon.