Rihab

Village in Mafraq Governorate, Jordan

Rihab is a village in Mafraq Governorate, in northern Jordan.

Antique church buildings

Rihab features numerous natural caves and dozens of churches, most of them dating to the late sixth or early seventh century.[1][2]

St. George's church in Rihab is claimed to be one of the oldest churches in the world.[3] A cave under the church may have been used for Christian worship as early as AD 33, although this has been contested by experts.[1][4][5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Milstein, Mati (13 June 2008). ""Oldest Church" Discovery "Ridiculous," Critics Say". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2008-11-08.
  2. ^ "UNESCO, GIZ preserve unique mosaic heritage in Rihab". UNESCO. 8 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Hatay, St. Pierre Church". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Tentative Lists. 15 April 2011.
  4. ^ McGrath, Matt (10 June 2008). "Jordan cave may be oldest church". BBC News.
  5. ^ "Doubts Raised About Ancient Christian Shrine in Jordan". Fox News. 12 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2014-11-08.

Further reading

  • Mittmann, Siegfried (1967). "Die Mosaikinschrift der Menas-Kirche in Riḥāb". Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins (in German). 83 (1): 42–45. JSTOR 27930795.
  • Piccirillo, Michele; Storme, Albert (January 1981). "LES ANTIQUITÉS DE RIḤAB DES BENÊ ḤASAN". Revue Biblique (in French). 88 (1). Peeters Publishers: 62–69. JSTOR 44088520.
  • Abu-Ghazalah, Samer; Al-Hissan, Abdel-kader (2002). "Discovery of the Oldest Church of the World". Architectural Science Review. 45 (4): 295–297. doi:10.1080/00038628.2002.9696943. S2CID 219597102.
  • Al-Bashaireh, Khaled; Al-Housan, Abdul Qader (2015). "Provenance investigation of white marbles of chancel screens from Rihab Byzantine churches, northeast Jordan". Journal of Cultural Heritage. 16 (4): 591–596. doi:10.1016/j.culher.2014.10.002.
  • Aliquot, Julien; Al-Husan, Abdul Qader (2020). "The Church of Saint John the Baptist in Riḥāb (Jordan): epigraphy and history". Berytus, American University of Beirut. 59–60: 107–130.
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32°19′00″N 36°06′00″E / 32.316667°N 36.1°E / 32.316667; 36.1


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