Mosaic of the River Jordan

Church of the Map, Madaba

This area of mosaic shows the Jordan river flowing into the Dead Sea (right = south). Fish are swimming up and down the river. On the East Bank, above, a lion pursues a gazelle. The body of the lion has been destroyed by iconoclasts, and replaced with a meaningless cloud of tesserae. Opposite, a watchtower guards a ferry on the West Bank. To the right, still on the West Bank, an inscription in red letters proclaims the ministry of John the Baptist ("to ton agion Ioannou ton baptismatos..."). At the bottom of the photo, another caption identifies the city of Jericho, with its houses and palm trees.