“From the black-basalt ruins of Umm Qais you look across three borders at once, the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights and the Yarmouk gorge, from a Decapolis city named in the Gospels.”
About Umm Qais
Gadara was a leading city of the Decapolis, prosperous under Greek and Roman rule and home to noted poets and philosophers. Built largely from local black basalt, it declined after earthquakes and was later topped by an Ottoman-era village. The Gospels place the miracle of the Gadarene swine in its territory, adding a layer of Christian significance.
Overview Umm Qais is the ruined Greco-Roman city of Gadara in Jordan's far north-west, a city of the Decapolis built partly in distinctive black basalt. From its hilltop terraces the view sweeps across three borders, taking in the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights and the Yarmouk gorge. It is identified in the Gospels as the setting of the miracle of the Gadarene swine.
Overview Umm Qais is the ruined Greco-Roman city of Gadara in Jordan's far north-west, a city of the Decapolis built partly in distinctive black basalt.
Black Basalt City Gadara has a colonnaded street, a basalt theatre, tombs and a later Ottoman village layered on top. The mix of black volcanic stone and pale limestone gives its ruins a different character from Jerash, and the panoramic terrace is a favourite spot for a meal at sunset.
The Experience
You wander a colonnaded street and a dark basalt theatre, then step out onto a terrace where the land falls away to the Sea of Galilee shining in the distance and the Golan Heights beyond. The contrast of black and white stone is striking, and the far-northern setting feels remote and green compared with the south. Sunset from the terrace is the highlight.
Why It Matters
Umm Qais preserves a major Decapolis city with the unusual character of black basalt construction and one of the most expansive viewpoints in Jordan, looking across into Israel, Syria and the Galilee.
Why Visit
It combines substantial Greco-Roman ruins, a biblical association and a tri-border panorama few sites can match, in a quiet northern corner. Time your visit for late afternoon, eat at the terrace restaurant at sunset, and look for the black basalt theatre.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Come in late afternoon and stay for sunset over the Sea of Galilee from the terrace.
- 2
Find the black basalt theatre, which gives the ruins a character unlike Jerash.
- 3
On a clear day you can pick out the Golan Heights and the Galilee across the borders.
- 4
It is far north, so combine it with a northern loop rather than a quick Amman day trip.
