In addition to Jerash and Amman, Pella (now known as Tabaqat
Fahil) and
Gadara (now Um Qeis) were once Decapolis cities, and each has unique
appeal.
Um Qeis, or Gadara- site of the famous Gadarene swine- was renowned
in its time as a cultural centre. It was the home of several classical poets and philosophers, including Theodorus, founder
of a School of Rhetoric's in Rome; one poet called the city “a new Athens.”
Perched on a splendid hilltop overlooking the Jordan Valley and the
Sea of Galilee, Um Qeis boasts an impressive colonnaded terrace and the
ruins of two theatres. You can take in the sights and then dine on the
terrace of a fine restaurant with a breathtaking view of three countries. |
| Pella is a favorite of archaeologists-
it is exceptionally rich in antiquities, some of which are exceedingly
old. Besides the excavated ruins from the Greco-Roman period, including an Odeon (theatre),
Pella offers visitors the opportunity to see the remains of a Chalcolithic settlement from the 4th millennium BC, the
remains of Bronze and Iron Age walled cities, Byzantine churches and houses, an Early Islamic residential quarter, and
a small Medieval Islamic mosque. Jordan’s second city, Irbid, lies
in between Pella and Um Qeis, and is a bustling community with a large
university. Though not an important city for sight- seeing, Irbid houses
two very worthwhile museums, and forms a good base from which to explore
the northern Jordan Valley or to start a trip to Syria. |
|
Um Qais &
Pella
