https://picturingjordan.com/tags/umm-qays/ Recent content in Umm Qays on Picturing Jordan Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Mon, 20 Apr 2020 15:55:20 +0300 https://picturingjordan.com/2020/04/gadaras-octagonal-martyrium/ Mon, 20 Apr 2020 15:55:20 +0300 https://picturingjordan.com/2020/04/gadaras-octagonal-martyrium/ <figure> <img sizes="(min-width: 35em) 1200px, 100vw" srcset=' https://picturingjordan.com/2020/04/gadaras-octagonal-martyrium/DSC_0488_huff8aa5895bea96743b27179bb809f0e2_1860045_480x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 480w, https://picturingjordan.com/2020/04/gadaras-octagonal-martyrium/DSC_0488_huff8aa5895bea96743b27179bb809f0e2_1860045_800x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 800w, https://picturingjordan.com/2020/04/gadaras-octagonal-martyrium/DSC_0488_huff8aa5895bea96743b27179bb809f0e2_1860045_1200x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 1200w, https://picturingjordan.com/2020/04/gadaras-octagonal-martyrium/DSC_0488_huff8aa5895bea96743b27179bb809f0e2_1860045_1500x0_resize_q75_box.JPG 1500w, ' src="https://picturingjordan.com/2020/04/gadaras-octagonal-martyrium/DSC_0488_huff8aa5895bea96743b27179bb809f0e2_1860045_800x0_resize_q75_box.JPG" /> <figcaption> <h4>Ruins of the octagonal sixth-century Byzantine martyrium</h4> </figcaption> </figure> <p>Nestled on a plateau in the northwestern corner of Jordan lay the ruins of the ancient city of <em>Gadara</em>. From this vantage point, just beyond the sleepy town of Umm Qays, you have a spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) and the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_of_the_Golan_Heights">Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights</a>. Like many other places in the region, Gadara appeared on the historical record after Alexander the Great&rsquo;s conquest of the Near East in 333 BCE.<sup id="fnref:1"><a href="#fn:1" class="footnote-ref" role="doc-noteref">1</a></sup> The city seems to have been mostly destroyed and subsequently abandoned after an earthquake in the eighth century.</p>