Irbid, Umm Qais -

on its western and northern theatres, it embraced philosophers and writers, and between the corners of the Street of Columns and the Path of the Nymphs, critics and writers debated, and on its quiet western view overlooking Lake Kinneret and the Lebanese Mount Hermon, poets composed the most beautiful poems.

Inviting him to "enjoy life", the ancient Roman poet Arabius, born in the fourth century AD, receives visitors to the ancient Jordanian city of Umm Qais, with his poems inscribed on his tombstone and says, "To you, I say, O passer-by, as you are now, I was, and as I am now you will be, enjoy life." You are mortal."

And over the past times and decades, and until the present day, the city of Umm Qais has preserved its unique artistic, cultural and urban heritage, within the Alliance of the Ten Cities (Decapolis) in Jordan - according to historians - which called on the World Tourism Organization to include it among the best tourist villages in the world, ahead of 136 cities competition.

The city of Umm Qais is visited by about half a million people annually (Al-Jazeera)

It was chosen - according to specialists - due to the multiplicity of its cultural and natural resources, and its promotion of economic, social and environmental sustainability, in addition to tourism development, integration, health, safety and security.

The city of Umm Qais, known in the past as "a wall, or a treachery", located in the far north of Jordan, includes unique archaeological features, including the Decapolis tunnel, which is the longest archaeological water tunnel in the ancient world, and the remains of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad and Ottoman buildings, western and northern theaters and a churchyard, as well as A path for nymphs, royal tombs, and columns on which verses of ancient poetry were written, in addition to the Umm Qais Archaeological Museum.

The Jordanian Directorate of Antiquities and international missions are conducting excavation campaigns in the city (Al-Jazeera)

O passer-by, do not be afraid

The ancient city of "Jadara" was famous for being a "cultural center," says Ziyad Ghunaimat, director of Irbid Antiquities. It was known as the city of philosophers, poets, and tragic writers, such as Miniposo Philodemus, who was called "the lover of people," and the writer Eunomaeus, the author of many books on politics, philosophy, and satire, who was born In the second century, in addition to the poet Arebus, the owner of the immortal inscription.

And Umm Qais immortalized - according to Ghunaimat's talk to Al-Jazeera Net - a group of ancient writers, poets and philosophers, among them the Greek poet Meliagros Al-Jedari or Al-Ghadari - relative to the ancient name of the city - who was born in the first century AD, and was one of the most famous poets of his era and a collector of poems, as history books tell that he managed Of the collection of about 134 poems, it formed the nucleus of the anthology - the Greek literary anthology called "The Corona".

Irbid Antiquities Director Ziyad Ghunaimat considered that "a wall" is the city of philosophers, poets and tragic writers (Al-Jazeera)

The poet Meleagros chose a poem for him to inscribe on his tombstone after his death, in which he says:

You passerby from here

Do not be afraid to pass through the graves of the dead

Here lies a peaceful old man his last sleep

Meleagros, son of Eucrates

who sings with love

And make happy tears fall from the mausoleums

Because it's stopping mode

Among the mistresses of poetry and the embodiment of charming beauty

It was a man from Tire

which the gods blessed

But the city of a holy wall

It was his hometown

Archaeological inscriptions in Umm Qais show the ingenuity of sculpture throughout the ages (Al-Jazeera)

Black basalt theatres

Historians date the construction of the city to the third century BC, and it was a fortress during the rule of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic dynasty, and during Roman rule the city expanded and developed, to form an important regional, cultural and commercial center with an area of ​​​​45 hectares, and despite its exposure to several devastating earthquakes during successive historical eras, it still retains Theatres, churches, mosques, colonnaded streets and the commercial market.

The richness of the city and its urban and cultural distinction are highlighted by its two large theaters, whether western or northern, built of black basalt stones, and can accommodate about 4,000 people, as well as the ingenuity of builders and sculptors.

Ancient inscriptions in the city of Umm Qais in northern Jordan (Al-Jazeera)

And on the same old basalt stone theatres, the second half of last year 2022 witnessed many cultural, literary, heritage and artistic events, in celebration of the victory of the city of Irbid as the "capital of Arab culture", in addition to organizing cultural days for Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Algeria to introduce the cultures of those countries in the city of Umm Qais. .

A city inhabited throughout history

The ancient city of Umm Qais is still - and throughout history - a "popular city", as it is visited by about 500,000 people annually, according to Irbid Tourism Director Mashael Al-Khasawneh, of whom about 200,000 are foreign visitors, and the rest are Arabs and Jordanians, and the number of visitors coming to the city of Umm Qais has increased. During the past two years, the "We Wanted Paradise" program was organized by activities working in the tourism sector with the support of the Ministry of Tourism.

The city of Umm Qais is considered one of the important tourist attractions in the city of Irbid, - Al-Khasawneh tells Al-Jazeera Net - and it is among the various tourist paths in the governorate, whether therapeutic, archaeological, cultural, religious, geological, or adventure tourism.

Columns Street and Sabil Al-Houriat in Umm Qais, northern Jordan (Al-Jazeera)

The people of the local community in the city of Umm Qais participate in the activities and events held there, and the Ministry of Tourism has allocated - according to Al-Khasawneh - a workshop and an exhibition for rural women's products of heritage and rural artifacts, handicraft products and artifacts that express the identity and civilization of the place.

Irbid Tourism Director Mashael Al-Khasawneh considered Umm Qais an important tourist attraction in Irbid (Al-Jazeera)

During the second half of last year 2022, the theaters of the ancient city of Umm Qais witnessed many cultural, literary, heritage and artistic activities to celebrate the victory of the city of Irbid as the "capital of Arab culture", according to Al-Khasawneh, in addition to organizing the activities of the cultural days of Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Algeria to introduce the cultures of those countries.

The "Arab Capital of Culture" initiative is considered as part of the UNESCO initiative, similar to the European Capital of Culture. The implementation of the idea began in 1996, based on a proposal by the Arab Group at UNESCO.

Handicraft products from the workshops of the women of the region in Umm Qais, northern Jordan (Al-Jazeera)

The idea is based on the fact that culture is an important element in the life of society and a axis of comprehensive development. Supporting intellectual and cultural creativity, deepening cultural dialogue, opening up to the cultures and civilizations of peoples, and promoting the values ​​of understanding, brotherhood, tolerance and respect for cultural specificity.