Mafraq
Umm el-Jimal is a town of black basalt in the north-east of Jordan, near Mafraq, lived in from the Nabataean and Roman periods through the Byzantine and early…
Umm el-Jimal is a town of black basalt in the north-east of Jordan, near Mafraq, lived in from the Nabataean and Roman periods through the Byzantine and early Islamic eras. Its houses, reservoirs, barracks and many churches still stand to roof height in places, and it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2024. Its houses show how the builders roofed rooms with long basalt beams in a land without timber. Visitors walk freely through the streets and buildings, and there is a small visitor centre.