In the middle of the Jordan Valley are the ruins of the ancient city of Pella. Because it has been continually inhabited since the Stone Age, it is considered one of the richest and largest archeological sites in Jordan and is also under review to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. 

Pella was inhabited a million years ago by hunters and gathers who followed herds of game animals through the Stone Age forests. By 5000 BC, permanent Neolithic farming villages sprung up and attracted the attention of the Egyptians, who referred to the site in written texts in the 2nd millennium BC. Pella thrived due to its strategic position on the trade routes running between Arabia, Syria, Egypt and the Mediterranean. Luxury items, including ivory sculpture and gold jewelry have been excavated from the site, suggesting that Pella was a prosperous settlement throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages.

Under Greek rule, the settlement earned the name Pella, after the birthplace of Alexander the Great, but the Jews largely destroyed Pella in 83 BC as its inhabitants were not included to adopt Jewish customs. 

Approximately twenty years later, the Romans entered the area and rebuilt the city. In 451 AD during the Byzantine era, Pella reached its peak where the population has been estimated to had been as high as 25,000 and it enjoyed an era of political and economical stability. The city was virtually destroyed by an earthquake that shook the region in 747 AD. 

The last occupiers of Pella were the Mamluks during the 13th and 15 centuries and it enjoyed a brief recovery until the invasion of the Ottomans caused the residents to flee. This ended the 6,000 years of continuous settlement.

Today there is an opportunity to see the remains of Chalcolithic settlement from the 4th millennium BC, evidence of Bronze and Iron-age walled cities, Byzantine churches, early Islamic residence and a small medieval mosque

Within an hour’s drive from Madaba along the picturesque Kings’ Highway, is Mukawir, the hilltop stronghold of Herod the Great. Upon Herod’s death, his son Herod Antipas inherited the fortress and it is from here that he ordered John the Baptist to be beheaded after Salome’s fateful dance of the seven veils.

Travel along the 5,000 year old King’s Highway to Madaba better known as the “City of Mosaics”. Hundreds of mosaics from the 5th through the 7th century are scattered throughout the city. Most notable are the Church of St. George and Church of the
Apostles.

Church of St. George
Imagine the excitement, when builders came across this old church in 1884. Adorning the floor was an amazing mosaic representing the oldest map of Palestine in existence along with all the major historical sites from Egypt to Palestine. Crafted in 560AD, this original masterpiece once contained more than two million brightly colored pieces. 

Church of the Apostles
This small church contains one of Madaba’s most beautiful mosaics dedicated to the Twelve Apostles. The mosaic is known as "Personification of the Sea" and it vividly depicts a woman emerging from the sea, surrounded by mythical aquatic creatures and a hodgepodge of rams, bulls, parrots and exotic vegetation.

Madaba Museum
For a true taste of culture, a visit to this museum should not be missed. Not only does it display a collection of mosaic collages, but the museum is actually setup inside an ancient chapel which is adorn with its own mosaic masterpieces. The museum also displays traditional embroidered Jordanian dresses, jewelry and pottery dating back to various ages.

In the eighth millennium BC, pre-historic man settled in “Baydah” (Baydah means “the white one” and was the name given by the locals due to the white-colored rocks), and the remains of this ancient Neolithic site is one of the earliest co-operative villages on earth. 

When the Nabataeans settled into the area, they established the area as an important caravan station and as a preliminary site for the ancient traders in preparation for the grand sales in the main part of Petra. Triclinums (big halls with three inner benches) were carved amongst the rocks of the Siq to provide accommodation for the traders. Water was also abundant due to careful “harvesting”.

As the style of architecture is similar to Petra itself, but much smaller, it is now known as Little Petra, a modern name given by archaeologists.