From the city with the fantastic view. The ancient city of Gadara, now known as Umm Qais, is nestled in the far northwest corner of Jordan. From its highest point, you can clearly see the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake Tiberias), Israel, the Jordan Valley, and Syria. On a clear day, you can even see Lebanon!

While the Roman ruins at Umm Qais are similar to other touristic sites in Jordan, due to its northern location, it is not yet a popular site for foreign visitors. Few tourists make the long journey, so we were able to have the area entirely to ourselves!

One of the first things I noticed were chariot tracks running through Umm Qais’ main colonnaded roadway. Over the years, the many heavy chariots that journeyed here carved deep scars into the ancient stone street.

For me, one of the most interesting parts of the city is the remnants of the old baths. Built around the 4th century CE, they are almost completely overgrown now. However, I took time to really scrutinize the area and could see small pieces of the mosaics that once covered the floor.

Our guide let us walk into one of the ancient Roman Mausoleums. I walked through one of the dark passageways like a proper tomb raider! It made me want to talk to the archaeologists that work at Gadara, excavating, preserving, and documenting each new discovery.

Another unexpected treat -- we watched fresh olives being harvested. There are an abundance of olive trees growing in the region. I almost tricked Adam into eating one! You see, fresh olives are incredibly bitter and don’t taste the way we are accustomed to until they go through the brining process. But, before ate he could eat one, I started laughing and spoiled the whole thing.

Lastly, on site there’s a well-preserved Ottoman Era village, dating from the 19th century. In fact, parts of the Ottoman village were built using from stones of Gadara’s ancient buildings.

Next: more of the Roman Era.

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