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{{Infobox historic site
| name = Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a)
| native_name = أم الرّصاص
|native_language=ar
| image = Umm ar-Rasas Arcs.jpg
| location = [[Amman Governorate]], [[Jordan]]
| coordinates = {{coord|31|30|2.83|N|35|55|12.95|E|region:JO-MN_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Jordan
| built = 5th Century
| elevation = 760
| governing_body = Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities of Jordan
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_date = 2004 <small>(28th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
| designation1_type = Cultural
| designation1_criteria = i, iv, vi
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1093 1093]
| designation1_free1name = Region
| designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Arab States|Arab States]]
}}
[[Image:Umm Rasas House ruins.JPG|thumb|Ruins of a house from Umm Ar-Rasas.]]
'''Umm ar-Rasas''' ({{langx|ar|أم الرّصاص}}; ancient name: '''Kastron Mefa'a)''' is located 30&nbsp;km southeast of [[Madaba]] in the [[Amman Governorate]] in central [[Jordan]]. It was once accessible by branches of the [[King's Highway (ancient)|King's Highway]], and is situated in the semi-arid steppe region of the Jordanian Desert. The site has been associated with the biblical settlement of [[Mephaath|Mephaat]] mentioned in the [[Book of Jeremiah]]. The Roman military utilized the site as a strategic garrison, but it was later converted and inhabited by Christian and Islamic communities. In 2004, the site was inscribed as a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1093/|title=Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a)|first=UNESCO World Heritage|last=Centre|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=Oct 17, 2020}}</ref> and is valued by archaeologists for its extensive ruins dating to the [[Roman period|Roman]], [[Byzantine]], and [[Early Muslim conquests|early Muslim]] periods. The [[Franciscan]] academic society in Jerusalem, [[Studium Biblicum Franciscanum]] (SBF),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/sbf/SBFinfo.html |title= Studium Biblicum Franciscanum - Information |access-date= 2007-10-29 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071205194202/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/sbf/SBFinfo.html |archive-date= 2007-12-05 }}</ref> carried out excavations at the north end of the site in 1986, but much of the area remains buried under debris.

==Early history==
Particularly during the epochs of the Early Bronze Age III-IV, Iron Age II, and Roman-Byzantine eras, dense populations inhabited the topographical regions beyond the western banks of the [[Dead Sea]].<ref>{{harvp|Dearman|1997|p=205}}</ref> Among these ancient settlements, the site of Mephaat has been mentioned in biblical texts as one of the cities upon the plateau to be condemned to great destruction (Jeremiah 48:21).<ref>{{harvp|May|Metzger|1977}}</ref> Many branches of the King's Highway provided a means for reaching the more remote ancient cities, but the main route served as the forerunner for the [[Via Traiana Nova]] built by the Roman Emperor Trajan (53-117 A.D.).<ref>{{harvp|Dearman|1997|p=206}}</ref> This road with its many branches facilitated travel, and Roman military encampments were set in place along the way as a defensive measure against barbarian assaults across the Roman desert frontier known as the [[Limes Arabicus]]. [[Eusebius of Caesarea]] identified Mephaat as the camp site of a Roman army near the desert in his Onomasticon (K.128:21).<ref>{{harvp|Timm|2010|p=477}}</ref> Also, the excavation of a Byzantine church here exposed an inscription naming the area as "Castron Mephaa" further supporting the theory that Umm-ar Rasas and the biblical Mephaat are one and the same.<ref>{{harvp|Dearman|1997|p=210}}</ref>

==Mosaics==
{{main|Umm ar-Rasas mosaics}}
[[Image:Umm_Rasas_Fisherman.JPG|thumb|Fisherman, top half of figure erased]]
The most important discovery on the site was the [[mosaic]] floor of the Church of St Stephen. It was made in 785 (discovered after 1986). The perfectly preserved mosaic floor is the largest one in Jordan. On the central panel, hunting and fishing scenes are depicted, while another panel illustrates the most important cities of the region including Philadelphia ([[Amman]]), [[Madaba]], Esbounta ([[Heshbon]]), Belemounta ([[Ma'an]]), Areopolis (Ar-Rabba), Charac Moaba ([[Al Karak|Karak]]), [[Jerusalem]], [[Nablus]], [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]], and [[Gaza City|Gaza]]. The frame of the mosaic is especially decorative. Six mosaic masters signed the work: Staurachios from Esbus, Euremios, Elias, Constantinus, Germanus, and Abdela. To the north of the St. Stephen's church lies another, damaged, mosaic floor in the earlier (587) Church of Bishop Sergius. Another four churches were excavated nearby, some with traces of mosaic decoration.

==Byzantine period==
[[Image:Rasas_bishop_sergius_icon.jpg|thumb|left|The only known remaining icon left in the complex]]
By the 4th century C.E., the advent of [[pilgrimage]] caused [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] to become the nucleus of the Christian world, and scores of pious men and women traversed the desert seeking sites of scriptural significance as well as communion with their creator.<ref>{{harvp|Wilken|1988|p=216}}</ref> The number of pilgrims intensified by the 5th century C.E., and many Christians chose to settle in the desert establishing monastic communities. Umm ar-Rasas was converted into an ecclesiastical center boasting numerous Byzantine churches.<ref>{{harvp|Britt|2015|p=260}}</ref> Among the notable finds unearthed at Umm-ar Rasas is the Church of Saint Stephen, which features elaborate and sophisticated mosaics. The discovery of Greek inscriptions within the mosaics confirmed dating to 756-785 C.E.<ref name="Wilken_236">{{harvp|Wilken|1988|p=236}}</ref> The date range coincides with the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] period of Muslim rule, and demonstrates Christian occupation later than surrounding areas.<ref name="Wilken_236"/> The mosaics illustrate municipal vignettes with explanatory text covering a series of cities in Palestine, Jordan, and along the Nile Delta.<ref>{{harvp|Bowersock|2006|pp=11–13}}</ref> Absent from the mosaics at Umm ar-Rasas are portrayals of principal holy places revered by pilgrims such as Bethlehem, Hebron or Nazareth unlike the [[Madaba Map]] found nearby.

===Stylite tower===
[[File:Umm ar-Rasas - Stylite tower.jpg|alt=|thumb|Stylite tower as seen from afar]]

The salient feature of Umm ar-Rasas stands about {{convert|1|mi}} north of the walled ruins.<ref>{{harvp|Wilken|1988|p=217}}</ref> Interpreted to be a [[stylite]] tower, the soaring structure served as a platform for Christian ascetics living in isolation at the top as well as an altar for a call to prayer.<ref>{{harvp|Ball|2000|p=290}}</ref> Ornamented with carved Christian symbols on all four sides, the square pillar endures in the distance as evidence of the once flourishing community established in the Byzantine era as a center for spiritual enlightenment.

==Muslim conquest==
Muslim armies penetrated Palestine during the summer of 634 C.E., and initially assaulted regions along the Mediterranean coast including the [[Gaza Strip]].<ref>{{harvp|Wilken|1988|p=234}}</ref> Discontented with Byzantine control, local Arab-speaking tribesmen living in the desert expanses willingly aided the Muslim invaders easing their conquest. The efficacious campaign was characterized by limited destruction, and many cities of the [[Holy Land]] surrendered on terms to Muslim rule.<ref name="Schick_220">{{harvp|Schick|1988|p=220}}</ref> Byzantine churches were infrequently transformed into mosques, but especially during the Abbasid period, the Muslim government actively enforced restrictive laws against Christian images.<ref name="Schick_220"/> Mosaics were defaced by the removal and reassembly of colored [[tessera]]e as seen at the Church of Saint Stephen. Following the Muslim victory, Christians continued to make pilgrimages to holy places, however, the numbers declined with the threat of imprisonment by Muslim officials.<ref>{{harvp|Schick|1988|p=239}}</ref> Many of the monasteries and churches built by Byzantine Christians were ultimately abandoned.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Umm ar-Rasas - Church of St. Stephen 1.jpg|Church of St. Stephen. It is an abstract representation of {{Transliteration|grc|Kastron Mephaa}} itself with a column as center.{{sfnp|Bowersock|2006|p=68}}
Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a)-114809.jpg|restoration work on Tower in 2017
Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a)-114836.jpg|Interior mosaics. A representation of {{Transliteration|grc|[[Askalon]]}}.
Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a)-114820.jpg|arch from an oblique angle
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Jordan}}
*[[Early Byzantine mosaics in the Middle East]]
*[[Michele Piccirillo (archaeologist)|Michele Piccirillo]], SBF archaeologist who led the digs and published the results
* [[Petra]]
* [[Wadi Rum]]
* [[Qasr Amra]]
* [[List of World Heritage Sites in Jordan]]

==References==
{{Reflist|21em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|32em}}
*{{cite book |last=Ball |first=Warwick |year=2000 |title=Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire |location=New York, NY |publisher=Routledge }}
*{{cite book |last=Britt |first=Karen C. |year=2015 |chapter=Through a glass brightly: Christian communities in Palestine and Arabia during the early Islamic period |title=Sacred Precincts: The Religious Architecture of non-Muslim Communities across the Islamic World |editor=Mohammad Gharipour |location=Leiden |publisher=Brill }}
*{{cite book |last=Bowersock |first=G.&nbsp;W.|author-link=Glen Bowersock |year=2006 |title=Mosaics as History |location=Cambridge, MA |publisher=Harvard University Press }}
*{{cite journal |last=Dearman |first=J. Andrew |year=1997 |title=Roads and settlements in Moab |journal=[[The Biblical Archaeologist]] |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=205–213 |doi=10.2307/3210622 |jstor=3210622 |s2cid=163440616 }}
*{{cite book |last1=May |first1=Herbert G. |first2=B.M. |last2=Metzger|author-link2= Bruce M. Metzger|year=1977 |title=The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha: Revised Standard Version, Containing the Second Edition of the New Testament and an Expanded Edition of the Apocrypha |url=https://archive.org/details/newoxfordannotat00mayh |url-access=registration |location=New York, NY |publisher=Oxford University Press }}
*{{cite journal |last=Schick |first=Robert |year=1988 |title=Christian life in Palestine during the early Islamic period |journal=[[The Biblical Archaeologist]] |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=218–221, 239–240 |doi=10.2307/3210074 |jstor=3210074 |s2cid=165642579 }}
*{{cite book |last=Timm |first=Stefan |year=2010 |title=Eusebius und die Heilige Schrift: Die Schriftvorlagen des Onomastikons der Biblischen Ortsnamen |location=Berlin |publisher=Walter de Gruyter }}
*{{cite journal |last=Wilken |first=Robert L. |year=1988 |title=Byzantine Palestine: a Christian holy land |journal=[[The Biblical Archaeologist]] |volume=51 |issue=4 |pages=214–217, 233–237 |doi=10.2307/3210073 |jstor=3210073 |s2cid=165744370 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://universes.art/en/art-destinations/jordan/umm-er-rasas Very informative site in English]
* [https://iowa-my.sharepoint.com/personal/hbeam_uiowa_edu/Documents/Email%20attachments%201/MVI_4895.MOV Umm ar-Rasas panoramic video]
* [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Umm%20er-Rasas%20(Jordan) Photos of Umm er-Rasas] at the [[American Center of Research]]
* [https://www.manar-al-athar.ox.ac.uk/pages/collections_featured.php?parent=6205 Photos of Umm al-Rasas] at the [[Manar al-Athar]] photo archive

{{Amman Governorate|jizah}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Jordan}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 2004]]
[[Category:Tourism in Jordan]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:Villages in Amman governorate]]