{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Byzantine church mosaic attracts Christian visitors' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54d768d8eafeecae20ba73' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54d768d8eafeecae20ba73' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nByzantine church mosaic attracts Christian visitors\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eLEAD IN:              A UNESCO-listed archaeological site in Jordan is being sought out by Christian tourists because of its ancient religious significance.               The complex of Byzantine churches at Um er-Rasas includes a...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eLEAD IN:\u003cbr/\u003e              A UNESCO-listed archaeological site in Jordan is being sought out by Christian tourists because of its ancient religious significance. \u003cbr/\u003e              The complex of Byzantine churches at Um er-Rasas includes a spectacular mosaic floor and a tower that's been standing since the first century AD.\u003cbr/\u003e              \u003cbr/\u003e              STORY-LINE:\u003cbr/\u003e              The UNESCO-listed site of Um er-Rasas has become a draw for groups of Christian pilgrims because of its ancient religious features.\u003cbr/\u003e              Hundreds of tourists are visiting the site every day, according to Jordanian authorities. \u003cbr/\u003e              Um er-Rasas is located 90 kilometres (56 miles) south of the capital Amman and is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Jordan.\u003cbr/\u003e              The complex includes 12 churches, some of which have beautiful mosaic floors.\u003cbr/\u003e              The UNESCO listing also includes four other churches located about four kilometres away from the main site.  \u003cbr/\u003e              The mosaic in the Church of Saint Stephen in the main complex depicts the local landscape, including towns and cities in the surrounding area and geographical features such as rivers and fields.\u003cbr/\u003e              The manager of the site, Hamada al-Moor, says this church was unearthed during the first excavation of the site, soon after it was discovered in 1987.\u003cbr/\u003e              \"The first excavation in Um er-Rasas by the Department of Antiquities was in 1987. The Church of Saint Stephen and the surrounding complex was discovered in 1987, and also the mosaic floor, and it was almost the largest and the most beautiful mosaic floor in the Middle East. The church of Saint Stephen dates back to 785 AD, at the beginning of the Abbasid period and the end of the Umayyad period, and this shows the coexistence between the Arab Christian community and the Islamic rulers at that time,\" he says. \u003cbr/\u003e              Archaeologists have discovered remains from the Roman, Byzantine periods and early Islamic periods, spanning a period from the end of the 3rd century AD to the 9th century AD. \u003cbr/\u003e              Um er-Rasas was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2004 and was designated as a site of Outstanding Universal Value. \u003cbr/\u003e              On its website, UNESCO says the site is a \"masterpiece of human creative genius given the artistic and technical qualities of the mosaic floor of St. Stephen's church.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              Al-Moor and his team are working to preserve the site in accordance with UNESCO's guidelines. \u003cbr/\u003e              \"When the Department of Antiquities fulfilled the requirements of UNESCO for the aesthetics of the site, in 2004 we joined UNESCO after we fulfilled the requirements. So from 2004 until now, we have been under the umbrella of UNESCO. The Um er-Rasas site comprises 12 churches. All of them have been discovered, but we are putting protection procedures in place until we have installed roof protection shelters to protect them,\" al-Moor says. \u003cbr/\u003e              On the mosaic floor of the Church of Saint Stephen, it's possible to make out Palestinian and Egyptian towns that are labelled in Greek script.\u003cbr/\u003e              Other churches also have mosaic floors, depicting birds and animals, fishermen and hunters incorporated into geometric designs. \u003cbr/\u003e              But there is more to the Um er-Rasas site than churches. \u003cbr/\u003e              The site was first a Roman military camp, but by the 5th century it had become a town, much of which is still unexcavated.\u003cbr/\u003e              \"Um er-Rasas site is not only churches, there are markets, old homes, and it also contains 15-meter-high archaeological tower dating back to the 5th decade AD, and this unique tower in the world has existed until now.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              The 14-metre-high tower was built by stylite monks, an ascetic religious order who used to live in isolation at the top of tall towers. \u003cbr/\u003e              At the top is a room where the monk lived, which would have accessed by a removable ladder, according to UNESCO. \u003cbr/\u003e              In comparison with the ancient city of Petra and the Roman ruins at Jerash, Um er-Rasas has often been overlooked by tourists. \u003cbr/\u003e              But it's becoming a popular stop on itineraries for groups of Christian visitors who appreciate its religious significance. \u003cbr/\u003e              \"We are fascinated by the mosaic that we are seeing here, it's extremely fascinating and just to see that the martyrs and the Saints have lived in this place, made this place a holy place,\" says Mona Hanna, a tourist from the US.\u003cbr/\u003e              \"Stephen is the first martyr in Christianity to find this church dedicated in his name, in like a cross the other end of the world is totally fascinated, fascinated by this, and we feel like we are treading on holy land, we just can't fathom how strong this is, you feel like united with all the Christians around the world in this place in Jordan.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              Much of the site still needs to be excavated and many of the mosaic floors are covered with sand and protective material so cannot currently be seen by visitors. \u003cbr/\u003e              Archaeologists say the inscriptions provide evidence that monastic Christianity was tolerated during the Islamic period of the 7th and 8th Centuries.\u003cbr/\u003e              UNESCO says the site is strongly associated with monasticism and with the spread of monotheistic beliefs in the region. \u003cbr/\u003e              \"I believe that this site is very important, because it represents a perfect example of the Byzantine living, of the Byzantine fortification, Byzantine church architecture, and Byzantium was largely forgotten and misunderstood in the West and by the modern society, it falls by the wayside,\" says Ilya Gotlinsky, an Orthodox Christian Priest who is visiting from the US. \u003cbr/\u003e              \"But over here we have a very clear and graphic depiction of how awesome the art was, at that time, and how important it is to further our knowledge about our ancestors, for Christians of ancestors of faith and for the population of Jordan, frankly of the people who lived here before the eighth century before the major changes were initiated.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              Tourism in Jordan has suffered in recent years, due to the conflict in neighbouring Syria.\u003cbr/\u003e              But tourism revenues rose 12.5 percent year on year in 2017, according to data from the Central Bank of Jordan. \u003cbr/\u003e              Authorities are hoping that lesser-known sites like Um er-Rasas might tempt more visitors in 2018.\u003cbr/\u003e            \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e              Um er-Rasas, Jordan - 15 March 2018\u003cbr/\u003e              1. Pan left from group of tourists arriving at Um er-Rasas archaeological site to the complex of churches\u003cbr/\u003e              2. Wide of group arriving \u003cbr/\u003e              3. Wide of tourists entering a gate leading to the compound of churches\u003cbr/\u003e              4. Wide of the compound of churches, covered by a protective shelter\u003cbr/\u003e              5. Wide of Church of Saint Stephen with mosaic floor \u003cbr/\u003e              6. Various of mosaic\u003cbr/\u003e              7. Mid of tourists \u003cbr/\u003e              8. Various close ups of mosaic with writing in Greek characters \u003cbr/\u003e              9. Various of Church of Saint Stephen and tourists \u003cbr/\u003e              10. Wide of arches\u003cbr/\u003e              11. Wide of the Church of Bishop Sergius\u003cbr/\u003e              12. Wide of arches\u003cbr/\u003e              13. Tracking of Hamada al-Moor, manager of Um er-Rasas site inside the Church of Saint Stephen\u003cbr/\u003e              14. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hamada al-Moor, manager of Um Er-Rasas archaeological site:\u003cbr/\u003e              \"The first excavation in Um er-Rasas by the Department of Antiquities was in 1987. The Church of Saint Stephen and the surrounding complex was discovered in 1987, and also the mosaic floor, and it was almost the largest and the most beautiful mosaic floor in the Middle East. The church of Saint Stephen dates back to 785 AD, at the beginning of the Abbasid period and the end of the Umayyad period, and this shows the coexistence between the Arab Christian community and the Islamic rulers at that time.\" \u003cbr/\u003e              15. Tracking of floor mosaic at the Church of Saint Stephen\u003cbr/\u003e              16. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hamada al-Moor, manager of Um er-Rasas archaeological site:\u003cbr/\u003e              \"When the Department of Antiquities fulfilled the requirements of UNESCO for the aesthetics of the site, in 2004 we joined UNESCO after we fulfilled the requirements. So from 2004 until now, we have been under the umbrella of UNESCO. The Um er-Rasas site comprises 12 churches. All of them have been discovered, but we are putting protection procedures in place until we have installed roof protection shelters to protect them.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              17. Various of tourists from Belgium looking at the mosaic floor at the church of Saint Stephen\u003cbr/\u003e              18. Mid of mosaic\u003cbr/\u003e              19. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hamada al-Moor, manager of Um er-Rasas archaeological site:\u003cbr/\u003e              \"Um er-Rasas site is not only churches, there are markets, old homes, and it also contains 15-meter-high archaeological tower dating back to the 5th decade AD, and this unique tower in the world has existed until now.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              20. Various of tower\u003cbr/\u003e              21. Tilt down from tourists to fragment of floor mosaic of two lions\u003cbr/\u003e              22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mona Hanna, tourist from US:\u003cbr/\u003e              \"We are fascinated by the mosaic that we are seeing here, it's extremely fascinating and just to see that the martyrs and the Saints have lived in this place, made this place a holy place. Stephen is the first martyr in Christianity to find this church dedicated in his name, in like a cross the other end of the world is totally fascinated, fascinated by this, and we feel like we are treading on holy land, we just can't fathom how strong this is, you feel like united with all the Christians around the world in this place in Jordan.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              23. Various of tourists in churches\u003cbr/\u003e              24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ilya Gotlinsky, Orthodox Christian Priest from US:\u003cbr/\u003e              \"I believe that this site is very important, because it represents a perfect example of the Byzantine living, of the Byzantine fortification, Byzantine church architecture, and Byzantium was largely forgotten and misunderstood in the West and by the modern society, it falls by the wayside. But over here we have a very clear and graphic depiction of how awesome the art was, at that time, and how important it is to further our knowledge about our ancestors, for Christians of ancestors of faith and for the population of Jordan, frankly of the people who lived here before the eighth century before the major changes were initiated.\"\u003cbr/\u003e              25. Wide of ancient winery \u003cbr/\u003e              26. Wide pan of twin churches\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan class=\"star-rating\" aria-label=\"3.5 out of 5 stars\" role=\"img\"\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star text-action\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003ci class=\"fa-solid fa-star 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