The village of Umm Qais wasn’t always as small and as relatively unknown as it is today. Gadara, as it was once known, was a large city that consisted of markets, hot baths, churches, fountains, mosaics, housing, courtyards and much more. This important city passed through the hands of many empires such as the Greeks, the Ptolemaic dynasty from Egypt, the Seleucids Empire from Macedonia, the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Ottomans.

Influences of each empire can be found throughout the ancient city; from the theatres and baths of the Greeks, the water systems of the Romans, the Christian adaptations from the Byzantines, and the name from the Ottomans; the town became known as Umm Qais because of the Turkish word Mkeis, which refers to taxation.

There were important battles in this area, such as the Battle of Yarmouk, which was an important fight between Muslim Arab forces from the Rashidun Caliphate against those of the Byzantine Empire.

The Arab forces were led by Khalid Ibn Al-Walid, who was a very successful military tactician and companion of the Prophet Mohammed. This region is now named after this military general who once fought in the Levant, the Hijaz, and lower Mesopotamia.

History The name Gadara derives from a Semitic term meaning “fortification”, and it is likely that a pre-Hellenistic stronghold secured this stretch of the land route between southern Syria and the north Palestine coastal ports. The change in the name Gadar/Gadara to Umm Qeis in the Middle Ages (from mkes, early Arabic “frontier station”) probably reflects the settlement’s ancient role as a border post.
At the beginning of the 2nd century BC, when the village was under the rule of the Seleukids, they gave it the epithet Antiochia Seleukeia, which, however, did not get established permanently.

In the course of the 9th century the name Gadara disappeared from the written records. An Arabic source from the end of the 13th/beginning of the 14th century mentions a village called Mukais in the province of Hauran. From this originated Umm Qais (Umm means “mother”). According to research, the toponym is derived from the Old Arabic word Der Mukus (customs house) . In official Ottoman documents of the 15th/16th century, the name Mkeis (or Mkes), which was in use until the 18th century, appears several times, and is nowadays occasionally used again for the modern place.

The streets names in roman planning derive from the names given to streets within a roman military camp. A street running from east to west was referred to as the decumanus because in roman legionary camps such a street would pass between the tents of the 10th cohort (decimana) and the 9th cohort. Streets that ran at right angles to the decumanus were named Cardo. The main street that connected the east and west gates had the addition of “Maximus” to indicate its significance.

In Gadara, the decumanus maximus follows a route from the Abila gate in the east, curves around the original settlement hill and then runs straight west for over 1.5km.

As the city developed in several phases of urban expansion from east to west, the first section of the street is much earlier and was first paved at some point in the mid 1st Century CE.

The decumanus maximus is paved with rectangular slabs quarried from the local grey basalt and laid at 45 degrees to the orientation of the street to stop cart wheels getting stuck in the gaps between slabs. However, roman aesthetic principles for architecture and planning promote regular perpendicular lines and rectilinear patterns. Therefore, to present a more aesthetically pleasing appearance in front of several high status buildings the slabs run parallel to the street rather than at 45 degrees.

In 1806, the German traveler Ulrich Seetzen identified the ruins as those of Gadara. During the 1890’s, a small village grew up on the Roman ruins, the inhabitants reusing the pre-cut stones to build their homes around graceful courtyards. A modern village soon developed nearby, but people continued to occupy the Ottoman cottages .

In 1974, the government confirmed the Antiquities Administration’s proposal to purchase all the land on the hill and to relocate the approximately 1500 inhabitants so that the archaeological site beneath the Late Ottoman village could be excavated and preserved.

Until the mid-1980’s, with a heavy heart the families left their village called “hara foqa” (upper quarter.) “Only then was the significance of a completely preserved ensemble of Ottoman buildings recognized, and efforts were made to preserve the village after all as well.”
However, since then not a single square of village land has been cleared.

In the mid-1990’s the ministry changed its tune, backing instead a project to convert the Ottoman cottages into a tourist village and chalet-style hotel. A handful of houses were renovated – among them the buildings now housing the Rest house and the museum – but work then stalled. Other schemes have come and gone, but for much of the year the abandoned Ottoman village and its once-grand Roman neighbor stand quiet .

The Gadara Aqueduct, also called Qanatir Fir’awn or Qanat Fir’aun (Pharaoh’s Watercourse), was a Roman aqueduct supplying water for some of the cities of the Decapolis. It serviced Adraha (known today as Dera’a in Syria), Abila (at Wadi Queilebh in Jordan), and Gadara (modern-day Umm Qais in Jordan).The aqueduct has the longest known tunnel of the Classical era.

There was one section of more than 106 kilometres (66 mi), constructed with qanat technology. In this special case, nearly all the shafts were diagonal at 45-60 degrees, with stairs to the real water channel inside the mountain. The line went along steep slopes and collected water from sources around the area. The first visitor who rode along the “Kanatir” was U. J. Seetzen in 1805.

East of Adraha was a 35-metre (115 ft) bridge. The remains of the bridge now can be found on the ground of the new Al Saad Dam located at the eastern suburbs of Dera’a. After a junction point with a side channel from the Muzayrib lake, the underground aqueduct begins. Three water systems have been found near Gadara (Umm Qais). The first and second were built with qanat technology, and the third was built as a channel along a street. It is believed that all three systems were used, but each at a different period.

Understand the phrase “busy as a bee” while you stroll through the Beekeeping Site in full gear. The beekeeper, will introduce you to the fascinating queendom of bees before permitting a sneak peek into the hives.

Their end product is a naturally sweet and additive free honey, which changes in taste depending on the year. He harvests the honey about three times a year and he welcomes any help from interested guests.

Visit the home of a local chef for an authentic experience with great farm to table dishes that represent Jordan and the northern region. Relax on Arabic cushions and share stories while you wait for the unique taste of northern Jordan.

Northern Jordan is rich with bio-diversity and is known for its flavorful local food. The food is all locally sourced and prepared freshly upon your arrival.