Madaba was part of the ancient kingdom of Moab. Known as Medeba during biblical times, it was taken over by the Israelites (Numbers 21:30), but Mesha, the self-proclaimed king of Moab, drove Israel out and rebuilt the city. Madaba later came under the control of a Jewish leader named John Hyrcanus, followed by the Nabateans, and finally the Romans in AD 106.

By the 6^th century, Madaba was a flourishing Christian community with its own bishop. A slow decline began in the 8^th century, and the city was abandoned by the time of the Mamluks several hundred years later. In the late 19^th century Christian families from Karak began resettling in Madaba, and they discovered a wealth of unsurpassed Byzantine-era mosaics, many of which are now displayed in situ. One of the most famous of these mosaics is the ancient map of the Holy Land, the oldest extant map of the region, in St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church. Also well known are the mosaics in the Apostles’ Church and the extraordinary mosaics in the Madaba Archeological Museum.