Publication Date
41 - 132 / 661 - 750
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;11;ar
Library Location
It is located north of the city of Irbid, about 110 km from Amman, Umm Qais, Jordan
Date
41 - 132 / 661 - 750
Notes
The name Gadara is most likely taken from the ancient Semitic language, and means "fortification" or "fortress." Jadara was one of the few Jordanian cities mentioned by ancient Arab geographers under the name "Jadar". The Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi describes in his book Dictionary of Countries, which he wrote in the 7th / 13th century, the site of “Jadar” as a village in Jordan. Later during the Middle Ages, the name was changed to “Muqas”, which is a name taken from the Arabic language and means “border station”. The city of Gadara is located at an altitude of 378 meters above sea level in the northwestern side of Jordan, at the foot of a mountain overlooking the northern Jordan Valley, Lake Tiberias, the Yarmouk River Valley and the Golan Heights, which gives it a view of at least three countries neighboring Jordan. Jordan became part of the Islamic State in the year 13 / 635 after the defeat of the army. The Byzantines in the battles of Fahel and Yarmouk. One of the inscriptions found in Gadara dating back to the year 42 / 662 states that a bathhouse that had been standing there was restored and renovated into a residential complex under the guidance of the Umayyad Caliph Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (r. 41-60 / 661-680). During the Umayyad period (41-132 / 661-750), Jordanian cities continued to flourish, due to the proximity Jordan is from the capital of the Caliphate, Damascus, and is located on the Syrian Hajj Trail. Some existing buildings from the Roman-Byzantine era were used during the Islamic periods. The clearest example is Al-Hammam, which was used during the Umayyad period as a residential complex. A large collection of Umayyad pottery and coins was found dating back to the period before the monetary reforms carried out by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in the year 77 / 696. The Abbasid period (132-358 / 750-969) is evident through the presence of pieces of Abbasid pottery. This confirms the fact of the continuity of habitation in this region from the Umayyad period to the Abbasid period, despite the prevailing belief that the Jordanian cities were abandoned at the time of the Abbasid Revolution in the 2nd century / mid-8th century when the center of the caliphate and power was transferred to Iraq. The city also remained inhabited during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. Gadara was one of the main points on the way for the withdrawal of the Crusader armies during the time of King Baldwin III (541 / 1147). Travelers in the 19th century narrated that Umm Qais was deserted except for some residents who used some of the rock graves as their homes and stables. In the period after 1303 / 1886, a new village was established in the upper area of the ancient city.
Sample Text
Mohammad Najjar "Wall" in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;11;ar
