The Map I Had Never Seen

If you’ve toured Jerusalem’s Old City with me, you’ve probably heard the story. We stand on the Cardo, the ancient thoroughfare dating back to the Roman Empire, in today’s Jewish Quarter, and talk about a sixth-century mosaic map discovered in a church in a small village called Madaba in Jordan. We talk about how it helped archaeologists understand ancient Jerusalem. We discuss Damascus Gate and a mystery that puzzled people for centuries. We focus on this map, made by Byzantine Christians, that still has something to teach us today.

It’s a story that tour guides love because it has everything: history, archaeology, mystery, and a satisfying ending.

The strange thing was that after all the times I’d told the story, after all the photographs I’d shown, and all the explanations I’d given, I had never actually stood in front of the map itself.

Last week, I finally did.

I had built up this moment in my head for a very long time. It’s not that I expected some profound spiritual experience; it’s just that the Madaba Map had become one of those places that existed on my personal bucket list of things I needed to see. I had spent so much time talking about it that it felt strange not to have set eyes on it.

So when I organized a trip for twelve Israeli tour guides to Jordan, seeing the map was my main motivation.

Sometimes, when you’ve anticipated something for years, reality doesn’t quite live up to the expectation. The Madaba Map didn’t have that problem. It was exactly what I hoped it would be: a remarkable piece of history, sitting quietly on the floor of a church in an off-the-beaten-path Jordanian city that most tourists and guides will never see.

I didn’t walk out of the church feeling transformed (which is probably a good thing). I didn’t suddenly see Jerusalem differently, and I didn’t have an archaeological epiphany. A few days later, I was back in Jerusalem guiding in the Old City, and the Cardo looked pretty much the same as it had the week before.

But I’m still very glad I went.

Jerusalem’s Gates and a Forgotten........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)