ABSTRACT
The surviving mosaics in the Great Mosque of Damascus appear to follow the mosaic tradition of the region, but at the same time some of the iconographical choices are different. Based on the writings of Muslim geographers of the Middle Ages and on the style of the mosaics of the Great Mosque of Damascus, scholars have interpreted their subject matter either as imaginary pavilions of paradise or as realistic landscapes depicting cities and trees of Syria. The depiction of buildings and architectural props in mediaeval paintings and mosaics has generated a long list of art historical commentaries on the meaning and models of these images. The Madaba floor mosaic is a unique cartographic work on a floor mosaic which emphasizes the natural features of the landscape, i.e. the Red Sea, and sets the cities in a – more or less – correct topographical relationship to this landscape.
