diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7227ce4..831deb5 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
 REBAR?=./rebar
 
-
 all: build
 
-
 clean:
 	$(REBAR) clean
 	rm -rf logs
@@ -41,7 +39,7 @@ check: build etap eunit
 
 
 %.beam: %.erl
-	erlc -o test/ $<
+	erlc -DTEST_MAP -o test/ $<
 
 
 .PHONY: all clean distclean depends build etap eunit check
diff --git a/c_src/decoder.c b/c_src/decoder.c
index fc892da..58bb0ae 100644
--- a/c_src/decoder.c
+++ b/c_src/decoder.c
@@ -59,10 +59,11 @@ typedef struct {
     char*           st_data;
     int             st_size;
     int             st_top;
+    int             to_map;
 } Decoder;
 
-void
-dec_init(Decoder* d, ErlNifEnv* env, ERL_NIF_TERM arg, ErlNifBinary* bin)
+int
+dec_init(Decoder* d, ErlNifEnv* env, ERL_NIF_TERM arg, ERL_NIF_TERM opts, ErlNifBinary* bin)
 {
     int i;
 
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ dec_init(Decoder* d, ErlNifEnv* env, ERL_NIF_TERM arg, ErlNifBinary* bin)
     d->st_data = (char*) enif_alloc(STACK_SIZE_INC * sizeof(char));
     d->st_size = STACK_SIZE_INC;
     d->st_top = 0;
+    d->to_map = 0;
 
     for(i = 0; i < d->st_size; i++) {
         d->st_data[i] = st_invalid;
@@ -87,6 +89,16 @@ dec_init(Decoder* d, ErlNifEnv* env, ERL_NIF_TERM arg, ErlNifBinary* bin)
 
     d->st_data[0] = st_value;
     d->st_top++;
+
+    ERL_NIF_TERM val;
+    while(enif_get_list_cell(env, opts, &val, &opts)) {
+        if(enif_compare(val, d->atoms->atom_map) == 0) {
+            d->to_map = 1;
+        } else {
+            return 0;
+        }
+    }
+    return 1;
 }
 
 void
@@ -575,8 +587,58 @@ parse:
 }
 
 ERL_NIF_TERM
-make_object(ErlNifEnv* env, ERL_NIF_TERM pairs)
+make_object_map(ErlNifEnv* env, ERL_NIF_TERM pairs)
+{
+    ERL_NIF_TERM ret;
+    ERL_NIF_TERM key, val;
+
+#if MAP_SUPPORT
+    ret = enif_make_new_map(env);
+
+    while(enif_get_list_cell(env, pairs, &val, &pairs)) {
+        if(!enif_get_list_cell(env, pairs, &key, &pairs)) {
+            assert(0 == 1 && "Unbalanced object pairs.");
+        }
+        enif_make_map_put(env, ret, key, val, &ret);
+    }
+#else
+    assert(0 == 1 && "maps not supported");
+#endif
+
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
+ERL_NIF_TERM
+make_empty_object_map(ErlNifEnv* env) {
+    ERL_NIF_TERM ret;
+#if MAP_SUPPORT
+    ret = enif_make_new_map(env);
+#else
+    assert(0 == 1 && "maps not supported");
+#endif
+
+    return ret;
+}
+
+ERL_NIF_TERM
+make_empty_object(Decoder* d) {
+    ErlNifEnv* env = d->env;
+    if(d->to_map) {
+        return make_empty_object_map(env);
+    }
+
+    return enif_make_tuple1(env, enif_make_list(env, 0));
+}
+
+ERL_NIF_TERM
+make_object(Decoder* d, ERL_NIF_TERM pairs)
 {
+    ErlNifEnv* env = d->env;
+    if(d->to_map) {
+        return make_object_map(env, pairs);
+    }
+
     ERL_NIF_TERM ret = enif_make_list(env, 0);
     ERL_NIF_TERM key, val;
 
@@ -617,13 +679,20 @@ decode(ErlNifEnv* env, int argc, const ERL_NIF_TERM argv[])
     ERL_NIF_TERM val;
     ERL_NIF_TERM ret;
 
-    if(argc != 1) {
+    if(argc != 2) {
         return enif_make_badarg(env);
     } else if(!enif_inspect_binary(env, argv[0], &bin)) {
         return enif_make_badarg(env);
     }
 
-    dec_init(d, env, argv[0], &bin);
+    if(!dec_init(d, env, argv[0], argv[1], &bin)) {
+        return enif_make_badarg(env);
+    }
+
+    if(d->to_map && !maps_enabled()) {
+        ret = dec_error(d, "map_unavailable");
+        goto done;
+    }
 
     //fprintf(stderr, "Parsing:\r\n");
     while(d->i < bin.size) {
@@ -770,7 +839,7 @@ decode(ErlNifEnv* env, int argc, const ERL_NIF_TERM argv[])
                         dec_pop(d, st_key);
                         dec_pop(d, st_object);
                         dec_pop(d, st_value);
-                        val = enif_make_tuple1(env, curr);
+                        val = make_empty_object(d);
                         if(!enif_get_list_cell(env, objs, &curr, &objs)) {
                             ret = dec_error(d, "internal_error");
                             goto done;
@@ -839,7 +908,7 @@ decode(ErlNifEnv* env, int argc, const ERL_NIF_TERM argv[])
                         }
                         dec_pop(d, st_object);
                         dec_pop(d, st_value);
-                        val = make_object(env, curr);
+                        val = make_object(d, curr);
                         if(!enif_get_list_cell(env, objs, &curr, &objs)) {
                             ret = dec_error(d, "internal_error");
                             goto done;
diff --git a/c_src/encoder.c b/c_src/encoder.c
index c23b309..e748e59 100644
--- a/c_src/encoder.c
+++ b/c_src/encoder.c
@@ -623,6 +623,7 @@ encode(ErlNifEnv* env, int argc, const ERL_NIF_TERM argv[])
                 goto done;
             }
         } else if(enif_get_tuple(env, curr, &arity, &tuple)) {
+            // Old-fasioned object definition: {[{Key1, Val1}, {Key2, Val2}]}
             if(arity != 1) {
                 ret = enc_error(e, "invalid_ejson");
                 goto done;
@@ -665,6 +666,30 @@ encode(ErlNifEnv* env, int argc, const ERL_NIF_TERM argv[])
             stack = enif_make_list_cell(env, curr, stack);
             stack = enif_make_list_cell(env, e->atoms->ref_object, stack);
             stack = enif_make_list_cell(env, tuple[1], stack);
+#if MAP_SUPPORT
+        } else if(enif_is_map(env, curr)) {
+            ErlNifMapIterator iter;
+            if(!enif_map_iterator_create(env, curr, &iter, ERL_NIF_MAP_ITERATOR_HEAD)) {
+                ret = enc_error(e, "internal_error");
+                goto done;
+            }
+
+            curr = enif_make_list(env, 0);
+            ERL_NIF_TERM key, val, tup;
+
+            while(!enif_map_iterator_is_tail(env, &iter)) {
+                if(!enif_map_iterator_get_pair(env, &iter, &key, &val)) {
+                    ret = enc_error(e, "internal_error");
+                    goto done;
+                }
+                tup = enif_make_tuple2(env, key, val);
+                curr = enif_make_list_cell(env, tup, curr);
+
+                enif_map_iterator_next(env, &iter);
+            }
+
+            stack = enif_make_list_cell(env, enif_make_tuple1(env, curr), stack);
+#endif
         } else if(enif_is_list(env, curr)) {
             if(!enc_start_array(e)) {
                 ret = enc_error(e, "internal_error");
diff --git a/c_src/jiffy.c b/c_src/jiffy.c
index 964222c..0f106c3 100644
--- a/c_src/jiffy.c
+++ b/c_src/jiffy.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ load(ErlNifEnv* env, void** priv, ERL_NIF_TERM info)
     st->atom_uescape = make_atom(env, "uescape");
     st->atom_pretty = make_atom(env, "pretty");
     st->atom_force_utf8 = make_atom(env, "force_utf8");
+    st->atom_map = make_atom(env, "map");
 
     // Markers used in encoding
     st->ref_object = make_atom(env, "$object_ref$");
@@ -54,7 +55,7 @@ unload(ErlNifEnv* env, void* priv)
 
 static ErlNifFunc funcs[] =
 {
-    {"nif_decode", 1, decode},
+    {"nif_decode", 2, decode},
     {"nif_encode", 2, encode}
 };
 
diff --git a/c_src/jiffy.h b/c_src/jiffy.h
index 3dda545..f609aa3 100644
--- a/c_src/jiffy.h
+++ b/c_src/jiffy.h
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 
 #include "erl_nif.h"
 
+#define MAP_SUPPORT ((ERL_NIF_MAJOR_VERSION == 2 && ERL_NIF_MINOR_VERSION >= 6) || (ERL_NIF_MAJOR_VERSION > 2))
+
 typedef struct {
     ERL_NIF_TERM    atom_ok;
     ERL_NIF_TERM    atom_error;
@@ -19,6 +21,7 @@ typedef struct {
     ERL_NIF_TERM    atom_uescape;
     ERL_NIF_TERM    atom_pretty;
     ERL_NIF_TERM    atom_force_utf8;
+    ERL_NIF_TERM    atom_map;
 
     ERL_NIF_TERM    ref_object;
     ERL_NIF_TERM    ref_array;
@@ -27,6 +30,7 @@ typedef struct {
 ERL_NIF_TERM make_atom(ErlNifEnv* env, const char* name);
 ERL_NIF_TERM make_ok(jiffy_st* st, ErlNifEnv* env, ERL_NIF_TERM data);
 ERL_NIF_TERM make_error(jiffy_st* st, ErlNifEnv* env, const char* error);
+int maps_enabled(void);
 
 ERL_NIF_TERM decode(ErlNifEnv* env, int argc, const ERL_NIF_TERM argv[]);
 ERL_NIF_TERM encode(ErlNifEnv* env, int argc, const ERL_NIF_TERM argv[]);
@@ -42,4 +46,5 @@ int unicode_from_pair(int hi, int lo);
 int unicode_uescape(int c, char* buf);
 int double_to_shortest(char *buf, size_t size, size_t* len, double val);
 
+
 #endif // Included JIFFY_H
diff --git a/c_src/util.c b/c_src/util.c
index f1be3ec..460f332 100644
--- a/c_src/util.c
+++ b/c_src/util.c
@@ -24,3 +24,12 @@ make_error(jiffy_st* st, ErlNifEnv* env, const char* error)
 {
     return enif_make_tuple2(env, st->atom_error, make_atom(env, error));
 }
+
+int
+maps_enabled(void) {
+#if MAP_SUPPORT
+    return 1;
+#else
+    return 0;
+#endif
+}
diff --git a/src/jiffy.erl b/src/jiffy.erl
index c4b3d69..e4458f6 100644
--- a/src/jiffy.erl
+++ b/src/jiffy.erl
@@ -2,22 +2,25 @@
 % See the LICENSE file for more information.
 
 -module(jiffy).
--export([decode/1, encode/1, encode/2]).
+-export([decode/1, decode/2, encode/1, encode/2]).
 -define(NOT_LOADED, not_loaded(?LINE)).
 
 -on_load(init/0).
 
-decode(Data) when is_binary(Data) ->
-    case nif_decode(Data) of
+decode(Data) ->
+    decode(Data, []).
+
+decode(Data, Options) when is_list(Data) ->
+    decode(iolist_to_binary(Data), Options);
+decode(Data, Options) when is_binary(Data) ->
+    case nif_decode(Data, Options) of
         {error, _} = Error ->
             throw(Error);
         {partial, EJson} ->
             finish_decode(EJson);
         EJson ->
             EJson
-    end;
-decode(Data) when is_list(Data) ->
-    decode(iolist_to_binary(Data)).
+    end.
 
 
 encode(Data) ->
@@ -99,7 +102,7 @@ init() ->
 not_loaded(Line) ->
     erlang:nif_error({not_loaded, [{module, ?MODULE}, {line, Line}]}).
 
-nif_decode(_Data) ->
+nif_decode(_Data, _Options) ->
     ?NOT_LOADED.
 
 nif_encode(_Data, _Options) ->
diff --git a/test/util.erl b/test/util.erl
index ceaef89..6f35810 100644
--- a/test/util.erl
+++ b/test/util.erl
@@ -27,8 +27,19 @@ check_good({J, E}, Options) ->
     etap:is(do_encode(E, Options), J, ok_enc(E, J));
 check_good({J, E, J2}, Options) ->
     etap:is(jiffy:decode(J), E, ok_dec(J, E)),
+    check_map({J, J2}, Options),
     etap:is(do_encode(E, Options), J2, ok_enc(E, J2)).
 
+check_map({J, J2}, Options) ->
+    try jiffy:decode(J, [map]) of
+        E2 ->
+            % etap function breaks all tests because of etap:plan, so stop
+            % if map test failed
+            J2 = do_encode(E2, Options)
+    catch throw:{error, {1, map_unavailable}} ->
+        ok
+    end.
+
 check_error({J, E}) ->
     etap:fun_is(
         fun({error, E1}) when E1 == E -> true; (E1) -> E1 end,