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Mother of beauty
(أم الجمال)

Title	Mother of beauty
Title Original	أم الجمال
Publication Date:	First quarter of the 1st century / first half of the 8th century
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID	monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;7;ar
Library Location	Umm al-Jimal is located in an area of basalt rocks, 90 km northeast of Amman, Mafraq, Jordan.
Date	First quarter of the 1st century / first half of the 8th century
Notes	Umm al-Jimal is considered one of the best examples of rural cities that were inhabited from the late Roman era until the end of the Umayyad period. The scarcity of wood in the region led to the construction materials in this city being limited to blocks of basalt stones, which were even used in door and window frames, window seats, and window and door sills. This reliance on basalt, known for its hardness, helped preserve the buildings and structures that are still standing, two or three stories high. Also, the use of basalt as the sole building material introduced a unique style of roofing: graduated rows consisting of elongated blocks extending over the rooms. In cases where the area to be roofed was wide or wide, transverse arches were used, on which resting on and on the side walls were elongated blocks that were placed in two or three rows so that each block protruded from the one below it to narrow the area to be roofed. The residential buildings in Umm al-Jimal contain open courtyards dotted with fodder and water ponds. The ground floor was usually used for storage and housing livestock, while the upper floor was designated for housing and overnight stays. The dimensions of the city are 800 x 500 m, and it is surrounded by impermeable walls that do not repel any external attack. A Latin inscription found near what is known as the Commodus Gate indicates that the walls of Umm al-Jimal were built in the last quarter of the 2nd century / late 8th or early 9th century. Inside the walls there is a large group of buildings and facilities that include 128 residential building units, 15 churches, a barracks for soldiers, two forts, and a building for the garrison commander, in addition to a number of reservoirs and ponds. The site is also rich in Nabataean, Greek, Latin and Safavid inscriptions and writings, most of which belong to tombstones. It is noted that most of the names mentioned in these inscriptions are Arabic names, such as Asad, Al-Harith, Scorpio, and Zabud. Outside the city, in the surrounding valleys, there are remains of agricultural ponds and terraces indicating the importance of the agricultural area. Most of the existing buildings within the city walls date back to the 5th and 6th centuries, and the site continued to be inhabited until the end of the Umayyad era.
Sample Text	Ghazi Bisheh “Mother of Beauty” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;7;ar

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Mother of beauty

(أم الجمال)

Publication Date First quarter of the 1st century / first half of the 8th century

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Record ID monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;7;ar

Library Location Umm al-Jimal is located in an area of basalt rocks, 90 km northeast of Amman, Mafraq, Jordan.

Date First quarter of the 1st century / first half of the 8th century

Notes Umm al-Jimal is considered one of the best examples of rural cities that were inhabited from the late Roman era until the end of the Umayyad period. The scarcity of wood in the region led to the construction materials in this city being limited to blocks of basalt stones, which were even used in door and window frames, window seats, and window and door sills. This reliance on basalt, known for its hardness, helped preserve the buildings and structures that are still standing, two or three stories high. Also, the use of basalt as the sole building material introduced a unique style of roofing: graduated rows consisting of elongated blocks extending over the rooms. In cases where the area to be roofed was wide or wide, transverse arches were used, on which resting on and on the side walls were elongated blocks that were placed in two or three rows so that each block protruded from the one below it to narrow the area to be roofed. The residential buildings in Umm al-Jimal contain open courtyards dotted with fodder and water ponds. The ground floor was usually used for storage and housing livestock, while the upper floor was designated for housing and overnight stays. The dimensions of the city are 800 x 500 m, and it is surrounded by impermeable walls that do not repel any external attack. A Latin inscription found near what is known as the Commodus Gate indicates that the walls of Umm al-Jimal were built in the last quarter of the 2nd century / late 8th or early 9th century. Inside the walls there is a large group of buildings and facilities that include 128 residential building units, 15 churches, a barracks for soldiers, two forts, and a building for the garrison commander, in addition to a number of reservoirs and ponds. The site is also rich in Nabataean, Greek, Latin and Safavid inscriptions and writings, most of which belong to tombstones. It is noted that most of the names mentioned in these inscriptions are Arabic names, such as Asad, Al-Harith, Scorpio, and Zabud. Outside the city, in the surrounding valleys, there are remains of agricultural ponds and terraces indicating the importance of the agricultural area. Most of the existing buildings within the city walls date back to the 5th and 6th centuries, and the site continued to be inhabited until the end of the Umayyad era.

Sample Text Ghazi Bisheh “Mother of Beauty” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;7;ar