Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
houses and 15 churches. Together, these buildings provide a fascinating insight into rural
life during the Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic periods. Compared to other archaeolo-
gical sites in the region, Umm al-Jimal was rarely looted or vandalised, which has left
much of the original layout intact.
The famed American archaeologist HC Butler once wrote: 'Far out in the desert, in the
midst of the rolling plain, there is a deserted city all of basalt, rising black and forbidding
from the grey of the plain.' Indeed, Umm al-Jimal is one of the region's most captivating
sites, and the opportunity to scramble across huge basalt blocks warmed by the heat of the
desert sun is not to be missed.
History
Supposedly founded in 1 BC by the Nabataeans, Umm al-Jimal is notable for the inverted
V-shaped roofs, constructed from black basalt. The town was taken over by the Romans
who used it as part of their defensive cordon against the desert tribes and it prospered as
an important trading station for Bedouin and passing caravans. From Umm al-Jimal, roads
led north to Bosra (in present-day Syria) and southwest to Philadelphia (modern Amman),
which firmly established the town on most of the region's major trade routes.
The city grew during the Byzantine period when churches were constructed and Roman
buildings demilitarised. At the peak of growth, this thriving agricultural city boasted some
3000 inhabitants. The key to Umm al-Jimal's prosperity lay in its sophisticated method of
storing water, which was a necessity for surviving the long periods between rainfall, and
for irrigating staple crops. Even today, many of the ancient town's reservoirs are still vir-
tually intact.
Umm al-Jimal declined in the early 7th century AD, coinciding with an outbreak of the
bubonic plague and an earthquake in 747 which forced the remaining inhabitants to flee
the city.
The ruins of Umm al-Jimal were briefly occupied by Druze refugees fleeing persecu-
tion in Syria in the early 20th century. Today, a small modern village has sprung up
around the impressive ghost town which is home now only to a few stray dogs and chil-
dren trotting through the ruins on a short cut to school with their note books tucked under
their arms.
