| 29 Jan 2010 |
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Ottoman-era village reflects Jordan's layers of enduring history
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UMM QAIS - While the grandeur of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gadara in the north draws busloads of tourists, the distinctive architecture of the quaint Ottoman village of Umm Qais remains a treasure off the beaten path.
The village, situated on the eastern slope of the site, features squat buildings with vibrant facades and multi-coloured stonework in fashion at the time.
Far removed from the bustling centre of power that was Gadara, a leading member of the Decapolis League, Ottoman Umm Qais was a frontier post, deriving its modern name from Mkeis, or frontier station.
The town's strategic value and beauty derive from its location overlooking the Golan Heights, Mount Hermon, Lake Tiberias and the northern plains of Palestine.
Many of the neatly cut basalt stones of Ottoman Umm Qais were in fact recycyled from earlier settlements, a reminder of how the Kingdom has served for millennia as the crossroads of cultures, civilisations and empires.
Strolling through the quiet Ottoman village, now deserted, one looks upon the ancient Hellenistic centre of art and education, rising on the horizon.
The land was acquired by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities along with Hellenistic and Roman structures, with the village only recently being renovated and restored.
A centrepiece of the village is an Ottoman governor's building, now home to the Umm Qais heritage museum, which stands as a reminder of the town's important position as late as the 19th century.
Built at the end of the 19th century by Faleh Al Rusan, who was appointed by the Ottoman government as the mayor, the structure underwent complete rehabilitation and renovation in the late 20th century with the aid of the German Protestant Institute.
The unique Ottoman architecture was almost lost when some of the buildings were demolished in favour of excavating other parts of the hill, according to sources.
Now with green grass slowly reclaiming the abandoned buildings and lavish arched doorways leading into open-air gardens, Ottoman Umm Qais reminds us that everything has its time.
© Jordan Times 2010
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