Amman, July 28 (Petra) - The ancient city of Umm al-Jimal, listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is a symbol of Jordan's historical and cultural richness, and an archaeological gem that reflects the cultural diversity and engineering creativity of many civilizations that flourished on the Kingdom's land throughout the ages, from the Nabataean, Greek and Roman to the Byzantine and Islamic.
The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced during its 46th meeting held in India on Friday the inclusion of Umm al-Jimal as the seventh Jordanian site on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which includes Petra, Qusayr Amra, Umm ar-Rasas, Wadi Rum, al-Maghtas, and Salt.
The ancient city of Umm al-Jimal, located northeast of Mafraq, is known as the "Black Oasis" due to the abundance of black volcanic rocks. The reason for the name Umm al-Jimal is due to the use of camels as a means of transportation during trade caravans.
Umm al-Jimal is one of the most important historical sites that embody the successive civilizations in the region, and an important commercial caravan station due to the presence of several trade routes adjacent to it, the most important of which is the Trajan Road, which connects the ancient capital of the Nabataeans "Petra" with the new capital "Bosra", and the other trade route coming through Wadi al-Sirhan "Diocletian".
The Nabataeans settled the village of Umm al-Jimal in the first century AD, and after the declaration of the Roman state, the Romans occupied it to become an important agricultural and commercial village from the fifth century until the eighth century AD due to its location on the Trajan Road and Wadi al-Sirhan.
The Umm al-Jimal area converted to Christianity during the Byzantine rule, and 15 churches were built in it at different periods, the oldest of which is the Julianus Church. It was conquered by Muslims in the 7th century AD during the Umayyad rule, until a devastating earthquake struck the region in 749 AD, which led to the destruction of many historical buildings and the displacement of the region’s residents.
During the Umayyad period (636-750 AD), Umm al-Jimal flourished when Damascus became the capital of the Umayyad state, where Roman and Byzantine residential houses were reused, as well as the Roman administrative governor’s building, where the throne hall was used during the Umayyad period, and the inauguration of the Umayyad house, which currently occupies the Umm al-Jimal Visitors Center (museum).
The importance of the city of Umm al-Jimal lies in its location within the basalt area, where its stones were adapted and unique architectural elements were used, such as the roofing system (tatnif) for several floors, the arches and vaults system to support the roof, as well as flying stairs, ponds, water tanks, wall sinks, and floor tiling.
Its importance lies in its location within the valleys coming from Syria, especially Wadi al-Las in the northern part of the site and Wadi al-Zaatari in the west of the site, where this feature was invested in using a distinctive water system represented by transporting water through canals covered with stone slabs to water ponds and reservoirs, in addition to the city's proximity to important trade routes such as the Trajan Road, where Umm al-Jimal became a station for commercial caravans, which required the inauguration of a military fort (military barracks) in the Roman period to protect commercial caravans.
Among the most important archaeological sites in the city is the Nabataean rest house dating back to the first century AD, in addition to the military barracks (barracks), which is a military defensive fort dating back to the Roman period (third century AD) and was inaugurated to protect commercial caravans. The fort is a rectangular building interspersed with an open courtyard surrounded by several side rooms, and two towers, one on the western side and the other on the southeastern side. At the top of the tower there is an inscription that includes the names of the four angels: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Ariel.
Among the important archaeological sites in the city are the city wall and its gates. These walls and gates were used in the Roman period to fortify the city from any external attacks. The site is surrounded by a wall with six gates on all sides, the most important of which is the Gate of Commodus, which is located in the northwestern side.
Among the most important landmarks of the site are the ponds and water tanks, and the building of the Roman administrative governor (the praetorium), as this integrated building is located in the middle of the western part of the archaeological city and was built at the beginning of the fourth century AD to serve as a palace for the civil governor of the city. It consists of a group of rooms and halls in the middle of which is a celestial courtyard roofed in the style of long stone slats based on four columns in the middle of the southern hall.
Among the important archaeological landmarks is the cathedral, which was built in 557 AD, in the basilica style with a semi-circular structure decorated on both sides of the narrow walkway. The "cathedral" is one of the largest churches and is located in the southwestern part of the Umm al-Jimal site, in addition to the Church of Numerianus and the Western Church.
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