Middle East - Anthony Ham [308]
Mosaic City Hotel ( 3251313; www.mosaiccityhotel.com; Yarmouk St; s/d JD25/35, extra bed JD10; ) This attractive 21-room hotel is a welcome new addition to Madaba’s midrange accommodation. Some of the bright and spacious rooms have balconies overlooking lively Yarmouk St.
Madaba Inn Hotel ( 3259003; www.madabainn.com; Talal St; s/d/t JD45/60/75; ) This efficiently managed, 33-room hotel has comfortable rooms (all with TV and minibar), with great views across the Madaba plain and window seats. A generous breakfast of homemade local cheese, olives and yogurt is a bonus.
Eating
Coffee Shop Ayola ( 3251843; ayolla@hotmail.com; Talal St; snacks around JD2; 8am-11pm; ) If you want a toasted sandwich (JD2), Turkish coffee (JD1), glass of arak with locals or simply a cosy perch on which to while away some time with fellow travellers, then this is the place to come. With its friendly welcome, festoons of hand-loomed kilims, creeping vines and aroma of sheesha, it captures the essence of Jordan.
Petra Restaurant (Talal St; 8am-12 midnight; snacks JD1) Also known by its previous name of King Shwarma, this spot serves reliable fare including kebab sandwiches. Pick up dessert in one of the Arabic sweet shops round the corner.
Bowabit Restaurant ( 32403335; Talal St; mains JD7; 9am-midnight) With photographs of old Madaba and excellent Italian-style coffee (cappuccino JD2.500), this is a number-one place to relax after strolling round town. Alternatively, make a night of it over a dish of Madaba chicken and a beer (JD3).
Mystic Pizza ( 3243249; Prince Hassan St; small/medium/large pizza JD3/6/8; 9am-midnight; ) This tiny, trendy new venue with its heavy wood chairs and flat-screen TV prepares delicious pizzas including a fire-roasted vegetarian pizza. Follow it up with the best frappacino in town (JD2.500).
Haret Jdoudna ( 3248650; Talal St; starters from 800 fils, mains JD5-10 plus 26% tax; 9am-midnight; ) This attractive complex of craft shops (a share of the profit is returned to participating cooperatives) also runs a bar and a restaurant set in one of Madaba’s restored old houses. Though popular with locals and discerning diners from Amman, the ‘take it or leave it’ attitude of restaurant staff can ruin the experience.
For freshly baked Arabic bread, head for the ovens opposite the Church of the Apostles. There are several grocery stores or ‘supermarkets’ in town. The most convenient for visitors is the so-called ‘Tourist Supermarket’ next to the Coffee Shop Ayola.
Getting There & Away
The bus station is 2km east of the King’s Hwy.
Minibuses travel frequently between Madaba and Amman’s Raghadan, Wahadat and (less often) Abdali bus stations (400 fils, one hour). The last bus back to Amman is around 9pm.
It is possible to travel to Karak on a twice-weekly university minibus (JD2, two hours) from the main bus/minibus station, although it travels via the less interesting Desert Hwy and doesn’t always run in the university holidays.
The Mariam Hotel can arrange transport to Petra via the King’s Hwy (JD15 per person, minimum three people) and to the Dead Sea (JD22). There is no public transport to Karak along the King’s Hwy.
AROUND MADABA
Mt Nebo
Mt Nebo, on the edge of the East Bank plateau and 9km from Madaba, is where Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land. He then died (aged 120!) and was buried in the area, although the exact location of the burial site is the subject of conjecture.
The entrance to the complex (admission JD1; 8am-4.30pm Oct-Apr, to 7pm May-Sep) is clearly visible on the Madaba–Dead Sea road. The first church was built on the site in the 4th century AD but most of the Moses Memorial Church you’ll see today was built in the 6th