Visit this Greco-Roman town, also mentioned in the Bible, snugly located in a hillside of northern Jordan, and marvel at the sweeping view of Lake Tiberias, the Yarmouk River, the hot springs of Hammeh and the Golan Heights from atop this Decapolis.
Umm Qais lies some fifty kilometers north of Jerash. Umm Qais was renowned in its time as a cultural center and home to several classical poets and philosophers and was often called “a new Athens”. Kindle that transcendental feeling, as you walk through the path of ancient flourishing civilizations, their remnants telling the story of the many travelers who entered its ancient gates; from the Macedonians, who first established their acropolis, to the Romans, Byzantines, Umayyads and Ottomans.
Situated on a broad promontory 378 meters above sea level, this town was known as Gadara, one of the ancient Greco-Roman cities of the Decapolis cities, and according to the Bible, the spot where Jesus cast out the Devil from two demoniacs (mad men) into a herd of pigs (Mathew 8:28-34).
In ancient times, Gadara was strategically situated, laced by a number of key trading routes connecting Syria and Palestine. It was blessed with fertile soil and abundant rainwater. This town also flourished intellectually and became distinguished for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, attracting writers, artists, philosophers and poets.
Umm Qais lies some fifty kilometers north of Jerash. Umm Qais was renowned in its time as a cultural center and home to several classical poets and philosophers and was often called “a new Athens”. Kindle that transcendental feeling, as you walk through the path of ancient flourishing civilizations, their remnants telling the story of the many travelers who entered its ancient gates; from the Macedonians, who first established their acropolis, to the Romans, Byzantines, Umayyads and Ottomans.
Situated on a broad promontory 378 meters above sea level, this town was known as Gadara, one of the ancient Greco-Roman cities of the Decapolis cities, and according to the Bible, the spot where Jesus cast out the Devil from two demoniacs (mad men) into a herd of pigs (Mathew 8:28-34).
In ancient times, Gadara was strategically situated, laced by a number of key trading routes connecting Syria and Palestine. It was blessed with fertile soil and abundant rainwater. This town also flourished intellectually and became distinguished for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, attracting writers, artists, philosophers and poets.
