Madaba is 30 kilometers southwest of Amman. It is also called the "city of the mosaic" because there are hundreds of mosaics scattered in homes and churches. The most significant mosaic map in the holy land, including Jerusalem, is the Madaba Mosaic which maps Jordan and Israel. This map became a guideline for Christians in establishing geographical regions and borders. It was designed in 570 AD and is now protected in the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George built over a Byzantine Church. Madaba's history goes as far back as 3,500 years, when David's forces defeated the Ammonite and Aramean coalition in 19th century BC. Madaba has a strategic position and has always been heavily protected by its inhabitants. The Nabataeans governed Madaba in the 1st century AD and starting in the 2nd century, it gradually became a provincial Roman city. In the 6th century, bishops were assigned to the city. In Madaba, visit the Madaba Museum near the Mosaics School. The museum houses many mosaics that were originally in other locations and have been moved for preservation. Madaba is a good place to start a tour of the King's Highway. Read about it below.

Mount Nebo - Nearby Madaba, from the summit, the Jordan Valley, Dead Sea, and Jerusalem can be seen in the distance. Here is a chapel in honor of Prophet Moses. It is believed that he stood looking at the beautiful view, which stretches west, forbidden by God to enter the Promised Land. Here on Nebo, he lived out his days.
Mukawir (Machaerus) - A fascinating place, situated on a plateau on a mountain at 22,395 feet, 20 kilometers southwest of Madaba at the King's Highway, overlooking the Dead Sea. It features a fortress built by Herod Antipas (Herod the Great) who used it as his stronghold. Here is where Salome danced in exchange for the head of John the Bapstist, who was being held prisoner after he told King Herod he had sinned by marrying his brother's wife, Herodias. She wanted him killed but he was arrested and incarcerated in Machaerus where he eventually lost his head.
Umm el Rases - This is a walled settlement 30 kilometers southeast of Madaba. Its main feature is a Byzantine tower used by monks seeking solitude. The church of St. Stephen was unearthed displaying the floor with an Omayyad design decorated with Jordanian, Palestinian, and Egyptian city plans.
King's Highway (The Sultan's Road) - The road twists and winds south. It is dotted with marks of traders, armies and pilgrims. In 1200 BC, Moses said to the Adomites "Let us pass...We will go by the King's Highway." Before Christ, the Nabataeans used it to carry Frankincense from South Arabia up to the Mediterranean, Hellenistic, and Roman world. The emperor Trajan (106 AD) extended it to Syria. Moslems used it in their pilgrimage to Mecca under Ottoman rule. They traveled in caravans, which were led by officials appointed by the Sultan. The route is reliable and traveled by visitors although modern day travelers usually use the more straightforward, modern throughways of Jordan.