Private Umm el-Jimal Visit from Amman

Depart from Amman Hotel to visit Umm Jimal now known as the Black Oasis it was built using black volcanic rocks due to the paucity of timber in the area. Due to the significant location of Umm Jimal in trade trail between Damascus and the south it was used as a stop on camel caravan routes hence the name which In Arabic Mean “Mother of Camels”.

The history of this city goes back to the Nabataean Roman Byzantine era. It was built in one of the settlements of the ancient Nabateans and flourished in the first century BC. Many buildings still stand to two or three storeys that it looks as if it was abandoned within living memory in fact it was about 1,200 years ago. After the Roman annexation of the Nabataean kingdom, Umm al-Jimal was enlarged, becoming an important military base, with encircling walls. In the Byzantine era more houses were built, 15 churches and a cathedral; and growth continued under the Umayyad. The oldest church is that of Eulianos which goes back to 345 AD.