Umm ar-Rasas

Umm er-Rasas (Arabic: أم الرصاص, DMG Umm Ar-Rasas, also: castrum Mefa'a ) is an archaeological site in Jordan with ruins from the end of the 3rd to the 9th century. It is located approximately 70 km south of Amman and 30 km from Madaba away.

Umm er-Rasas was a walled settlement and contains ruins from the Roman and Byzantine era and of early Islam. So far, only a small part of Umm er-Rasas was excavated. This includes a Roman military camp of 150 x 150 meter area, the outer wall is reinforced with towers at the corners. From the Byzantine period are the remains of a tower, which was used by early Christian monks, and a few churches. Beneath is a church dedicated to St. Stephen with mosaics from the time of the Umayyads. They show views of the city from Jordan, Palestine and Egypt.

Since 2004, Umm er-Rasas is a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.