Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
yearning for a glimpse of their former homeland. The Resthouse, a popular restaurant loc-
ated amid the ruins, is a particular favourite with families congregating to swap stories of
the Holy Land.
History
The ancient town of Gadara was ruled by a series of powerful nations, including the
Ptolemies, the Seleucids, the Jews and, from 63 BC, the Romans who transformed the
town into one of the great cities of the Decapolis (
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)
.
Herod the Great was given Gadara following a naval victory and he ruled over it until
his death in 4 BC - much to the disgruntlement of locals who tried everything to put him
out of favour with Rome. On his death the city reverted to semi-autonomy as part of the
Roman province of Syria and it flourished under various guises until the 7th century
when, in common with other cities of the Decapolis, it lost its trading connections and be-
came little more than a backwater.
The town was partially rebuilt during the Ottoman Empire and many structures from
this period, built in the typical black basaltic rock of the region, remain well preserved
alongside the earlier Roman ruins.
In 1806 Gadara was 'discovered' by Western explorers but excavation did not com-
mence in earnest until the early 1980s. Thanks to German funding, considerable restora-
tion of the Roman ruins has taken place but much remains still to be excavated.
