Ammon News - By Taylor Luck

AJLOUN - Overlooking the windswept olive groves of Ajloun are the remnants of the humble beginnings of a man revered in the three Abrahamic faiths - Elijah.

Up the winding roads leading from the village of Wahadneh lies Tel Mar Elias, one of the largest Byzantine churches in Jordan and an ancient site of pilgrimage, worship and interfaith coexistence.

The area, some nine kilometres outside of Ajloun city, had previously been used for military purposes in the 20th century and has long been of interest to archaeologists due to a series of Byzantine-era mosaics discovered in various homes near the Tel. With its proximity to other important sites, experts theorised that Tel Mar Elias could have been an important stop on the pilgrimage trail.

Starting in 1999, excavations led by the Department of Antiquities (DoA) unveiled a 1,340-square-metre church on the hill dating back to the early 7th century. In 2001, a smaller, older church, believed to predate the Byzantine era, was discovered to the west of the site, according to the department.

Inscriptions on the Byzantine church and its mosaics led many to believe that the structure was built in honour of Elias (Elijah), lending its name to the area. Further findings produced strong evidence that the hillside ruins mark the birthplace of Elijah, a revered figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The site has since been identified as the ancient town of Listib, associated with the Biblical town of Tishbe, which according to Christian and Jewish traditions is the hometown of Elijah.

Listib was first inhabited in the Roman and Byzantine periods, according to surface architectural and pottery evidence at the site. Tel Mar Elias is situated a few kilometres away from the Zarqa River, as is the location of Tishbe described in the Bible, and the site offers staggering views of Ajloun, some 900 metres above sea level.

According to the Abrahamic traditions, Elijah was a champion of monotheism, spoke out against the worship of the idol Baal and called on people not to forsake belief in God.

The birthplace of Elijah, who is also revered as a prophet in Islam, has attracted worshippers of all faiths for hundreds of years. Tel Mar Elias also includes a Mamluk-era mosque at the southeastern base of the hill alongside the remains of another, earlier Byzantine church.

The site is not to be confused with Tel Elias near the Baptism Site, which is where some believe Elijah ascended to heaven.

In order to support the growing number of worshippers, for five years the DoA conducted renovations to restore the church’s outer walls, apses, baptismal room, and courtyard, as well as the smaller church. Work is ongoing on a series of tombs beneath the site, while its colourful mosaic floors are preserved by a layer of sand.

Although excavations have stopped and renovations have slowed due to limited funding, Tel Mar Elias still has a unifying effect today, as evident by the myriad of trees nearly weighed down by cloth ribbons placed by worshippers of all three faiths.

As a sign of respect, Jordanian Muslim and Christian populations gather on the hill each June 21 to commemorate Elijah and celebrate their shared history.

(Jordan Times)

*** The windswept hills of Tel Mar Elias has been a meeting point of the three Abrahamic faiths for over a thousand years (Photo by Taylor Luck)