I had to check twice. There, below the catwalk on which I stood, was a man riding a goose. Close by men fished, oblivious to their goose-riding compatriot. It was a most unexpected thing to see – particularly in the ruins of an abandoned church. I’m used to World Heritage Sites which educate and inspire. It’s always nice to find one that amuses too. And in this instances it also encouraged me to study the other mosaic decorations of St Stephen’s Church in greater detail.

The history of Um er-Rasas is a confused one spread across many centuries. The ruins on site today are the remains of a local religious hub from the Byzantine era. The core site is not large, but includes the remains of a large number of churches. And a mile to the north stands a Stylite tower, a 15m tall pillar where Christian hermits would live apart from the world. It was previously known as Kastron Mefa’a. The ‘Kastron’ identifies it as a military camp (‘castrum’) on the eastern edge of the Roman Empire (so, should the current vogue for inscribing every single scrap of Roman limes as a World Heritage Site continue we may see this site inscribed twice). The ‘Mefa’a’ suggests that it was built atop or in the vicinity of the settlement of Mephaath, mentioned in the Book of Joshua as belonging to the tribe of Reuben. At some point it appears to have been incorporated into Moab for it is mentioned once more in the Book of Jeremiah as being condemned to destruction (“And judgment is come upon the plain country; upon Holon, and upon Jahzah, and upon Mephaath”). At some point rule of the area passed from the Byzantines to the Muslims. The mosaics were painstakingly defaced (rather than being wantonly destroyed only the tesserae depicting people’s faces were removed, jumbled up, and set back down again – akin to blurring the features of confidential informants on TV). And the site fell into destitution.

The ‘gateway’ to Um er-Rasas is the Stylite tower, a chunky tower with no staircase, coated with scaffolding and pigeon droppings. A mile further down the road are the main remains of the settlement. And my first feeling was one of disappointment. What I found was a jumble of blocks, confused and unlabelled. A shiny new visitors’ centre stood empty when I visited and while there were stands for information boards dotted about the ruins there was no actual information to be had. I had nothing to help me interpret the site. But as I walked about it became clear that there are a few architectural highlights that had survived earthquakes, in particular a large number of lintelled doorways and arches.

But the real highlight is the mosaic floor of the Church of St Stephen, shaded by a large hangar. Catwalks let visitors access without damaging the floor (though in a couple of places it does restrict visibility). The church is home to the largest mosaic floor in Jordan. Of more interest to me than the central image were the outside bands which intersperse pastoral scenes (including our friend on the goose) with representations of the towns of the Holy Land: Jerusalem, Nikopolis, Ashkelon, Gaza, Karak, Madaba. And, of course, Kastron Mefaa itself, in which the Stylite’s pillar is prominent in the foreground (photo). It has been dated to 785AD – so roughly 75 years later than the frescos at the Umayyad Caliphate’s Quseir Amra not too far to the north-east, demonstrating that this was still a booming site despite its location in disputed territory. A mosaic floor can also be found in the nearby Church of the Lions (though there are no catwalks to stop you walking directly across the mosaic floor).

Once the mosaics have been appreciated the whole site becomes much more rewarding. I found my walk back through the ruins surprisingly atmospheric – just me, the breeze and a few 8-inch geckos. And the tourist police hovering in the background. A number of previous reviewers have mentioned the visitors’ centre being closed. Guess what? It was when I visited too (this was in 2009 and the centre looked brand new with no contents yet). But there was no ticket charge either, which made this visit a bargain.

I visited by taxi. I combined two set itineraries into one afternoon – this trip to see Umm er-Rasas, followed by the ‘desert castles’ tour along Highway 40 to pick up Quseir Amra. Total price for the afternoon was 60JD (£54) – 15 JD for Umm er-Rasas, 45JD for the castles. The trip out took 45 minutes each way from the delightful little town of Madaba. Madaba should definitely be on the itinerary of anyone with even a passing enthusiasm for mosaic art as it has two worthwhile attractions. The first is the Madaba Archaeological Park which has gathered together a number of entertaining mosaics from the surrounding areas. The second is St George’s Greek Orthodox Church, a modern place of worship harbouring a definitely un-modern highlight. Protected beneath a carpet is the ‘Madaba Map’ a 560 AD sketch of the Holy Land, centred upon Jerusalem. It shows an area bounded by the River Jordan in the north and the Nile Delta in the south, from Karak in the east to the Mediterranean in the West. It is so accurate that since its rediscovery it has helped archaeologists and historians find otherwise lost landmarks in Jerusalem and towns in the region.

World Heritage-iness: 2.5

My Experience: 3

 (Visited August 2009)