Day 17: Trip to Umm Qais, Ajlun and Jerash (2)
First stop was Umm Quais, a Roman city which has hardly been restored, situated high on a mountain, which is only interesting because of the view you have from the mountain. You can see all across the Golan Heights, up to the sea of Galilee and the city of Tiberius. Cool to see some of these places for real, after only hearing about them either in the news or in history class.
Umm Qais, formerly known as Gadara, was originally a Jewish city, captured by the Romans somewhere around 60 BC. During the Byzantine era it became the seat of a bishopric until the 7th century, after which the city was largely abandoned. The city was rebuilt by the Ottoman Turks so there are is an interesting mix of architecture.
But as said, the place has not been restored much, most of what you see are excavated foundations and a small amphitheatre. I guess we were getting a bit cocky by now - we'd seen it all before, only better.
The view was good though!
