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Jordan just added another UNESCO World Heritage Site to its roster. During the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee held in India, Umm al-Jimal, a village in the north of the country, was announced as the seventh Jordanian site to be inscribed on the famous list.
Less than 10km from the Syrian border lie the ruins of a Byzantine and early Islamic town as well as a Roman village. Dating back to the Nabataean and Abbasid periods, Umm al-Jimal boasts several Greek and Nabataean inscriptions.
Through ongoing archaeological and cultural research, the Umm el-Jimal Project is uncovering fascinating secrets about this place. Although located on the semi-arid plain of the Hauran, its residents devised an ingenious water storage system through a network of canals and reservoirs that collected runoff water from kilometres away to sustain thousands of people, their animals and agricultural practices. Ancient denizens used abundant black basalt from the region’s volcanic plain to construct sturdy, insulated structures that reached up to six stories. Techniques such as corbelling allowed most buildings to contain multiple floors, while cantilevered stairways provided access to these upper storeys.
After the announcement, the country’s minister of tourism and antiquities, Makram Al-Queisi, said, "Umm al-Jimal is the third Nabataean city after Petra and Um er-Rasas, representing the northern expansion of Nabataean rule and demonstrating the Nabataeans' ability to build a smart, sustainable system despite the scarcity of water, embodying the resilience of the region's inhabitants from that time until today."
The inclusion of Umm al-Jimal, according to UNESCO criteria, meets the requirements of integrity and/or authenticity and having an adequate protection and management system to ensure the site's preservation.
(With inputs from multiple news sources)
