Mār ʼIlyās
Mār ʼIlyās
Tall Mar ʼIlyās is about 10k from the city of ʻAjlun to the northwest, and it is located within a forest of oak and maple trees, overlooking the surrounding areas.
The people of the region mentioned that they used to circumambulate their sick sheep around the hill of Mar ʼIlyās, chanting: (Oh God, oh Mar ʼIlyās, oh father of the wax and the mass (the service), send down the rain on us and remove the poison from us and heal the sheep…). After that, they slaughter a sheep and distribute its meat to the poor, some people still make vows and swear oaths with him and tie cloths on the trees of the site as a means of seeking refuge with this Prophet.
Site coordinates: (32.3619901557066 North, 35.72181609325353 East)
The site was named in relation to one of the prophets of the Old Testament in the Bible, the prophet Elijah, whose Arabic name mentioned in the Holy Qur’an is ʼIlyās. Archaeological excavations conducted by the Department of Antiquities between 1998 and 2002 at the site revealed one of the largest churches in Jordan, the Upper Church.
Most important features in the site:
1. The Upper (Big) Church:
It is a basilica with semi-circular apse, located on the top of Mar ʼIlyās hill facing the east. It was discovered in 1999. Its area is estimated at about 1,300m2. The floor is paved with mosaics of colored stones, with geometric and plant design in part of it.
2. chancel screenThe Sanctuary:
Its dimensions are 9×3.6m. It is separated from the aisles by a barrier , only part of its foundations remains. The barrier is built of white marble. The structure is slightly higher than the floors of the aisles. There are two rooms on either side of the main apse, in the south and the northwestern sides of the church.
3. The Lower (Small) Church:
It is a small area basilica church, unearthed 2001, it contains three aisles and three apses, the eastern one is the largest and it has a semi-circular shape with a diameter of 3.47m, built of trimmed stones, preceded by a rectangular structure; while the other two apses are symmetrical, one in the south and the other in the north. They form with the main apse what looks like a three-petaled rose, all the apses are in a semi-circular shape, as this architectural plan used to gather the three apses closely around a central space topped by a dome.
Four tombs were also found carved in a side room on the church southern side.
4. Grape Press:
The press is to the south of the site, outside the area of big church. A square basin measuring approximately 8.5×9.30m is the main part; its floor is paved with white and colored mosaics.
Inside there are grooves to install a winding column, at the top a movable wooden board presses on flat baskets that hold the grapes to extract their juice, which flows to the collection basin in the south. This basin has a diameter of 90cm and a depth of approximately 120cm. The grapes were trampled with feet before being placed in the press; to prepare it for the final squeezing.
5.
6. The Graveyard:
It is located south of the church, consists of two rooms: the first is external, with stone walls, only its foundations remain, within it there is three graves. The second is internal and carved partially in the natural rock, it includes five graves.