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It can be reached from Madaba directly. The Town of Um Al Rasas, as it is known, was an important town in the Nabatean times and became a frontier station in the Roman time. The city wall, houses and churches are the remains of the ancient Kastron Mefaa.
The mosaics are magnificent. All figures have been carefully patched during the iconoclastic movement so as to render them unrecognizable. The cities of the east and west bank of the Jordan are shown and named. On the north side from top to bottom are the western cities. From top to bottom the read: Hagia Polis (Jerusalem); Neapolis (Nablus); Sebastis (Samaria-Sebaste); Kesaria (Caesarea); Diospolis (Lidda); Eleutheropolis (Beit Gibrin); Askalon (Ashkelon); Gaza (Gaza). On the south side from top to bottom are the eastern cities; Kastron Mephaa (Um ar- Resas); Philadelphia (Amman); Madaba (Madaba); Esbounta (Hisban); Belemounta (Ma'in); Aeropolis (Raba); Charach Mouba (Kerak).
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The two pictures of Kastron Mephaa included the tall square tower, which was initially thought to be a watch-tower. Following the discovery of the 6th century church at the base of the tower it seems certain that this was the tower of a Stylite, an ascetic monk who spent years on top of this stairless tower meditating and praying.
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