Umm Qais

Umm Qais, perched on a hilltop with sweeping views of the Sea of Galilee, the Golan Heights, and the Jordan Valley, is identified with the biblical Gadara, one of the cities of the Decapolis. It was here that Jesus performed the miracle of the man possessed by demons, whom He freed by sending the spirits into a herd of swine. This powerful event, recounted in the Gospels, makes the site especially meaningful for Christian pilgrims. Roman and Byzantine ruins—including a black basalt theater, colonnaded streets, baths, and ancient churches—stand amidst a breathtaking landscape that fuses history and spirituality. Umm Qais is a place of reflection and inspiration, where faith, culture, and nature come together in timeless harmony.