About the Project
Project Directors:
Dr. Darrell Rohl, Dr. Elizabeth Osinga, Ms. Jenna De Vries Morton
The Umm Al-Jimāl Archaeological Project began as an archaeological research program in 1972, founded by Dr. Bert de Vries and directed by him until he passed in 2021. Today it is an ongoing collaborative enterprise between the project and its international partners, including the residents and Municipality of Umm Al-Jimāl, the Jordanian Department of Antiquities in Mafraq and Amman, Jordan’s Ministries of Education and Tourism, the American Center of Research (ACOR), Open Hand Studios, and many other organizations. The project not only continues the legacy of archaeological work to the highest standards, but has since expanded to encompass the latest technologies in recording and analysis, and most importantly works with the local community towards sustainable development, tourism services, and cultivating local expertise.
In 2007, the UJAP began a new phase of research and work to that focused specifically on integrating the academic and archaeological context of Umm Al-Jimāl with the site’s physical conservation, the modern community’s everyday life and cultural heritage, sustainable development, and public dissemination of results via an educational curriculum, as well as on-site and virtual museums.
To learn more about the project’s field seasons, explore the Fieldwork section of the website. The Academic Archive hosts some of our publications and shares some of the key data from the project.
What is Umm Al-Jimāl?
Umm Al-Jimāl is both a modern town and archaeological site of unknown ancient name, located approximately 70km northeast of Amman and just south of the Syrian border. Ancient Umm Al-Jimāl was a frontier settlement in the low-rainfall steppe region (the badiyah) adjacent to the eastern desert. The site was founded in the later 1st century CE, probably during the rule of Rabbel II, the last ruler of the Nabataean Kingdom.
Umm al-Jimāl was well positioned along the main trade route (the via nova) that linked Petra and other key sites in the south to other major hubs on the way to Damascus in Northern Syria. Nabataea was annexed by the Roman Empire in 106 CE. Although Umm Al-Jimāl does contain several imperial constructions, including an entry gate, two forts, and an administrative building, the town maintained its local character, illustrated by the distinctive Hauranian architectural style and the clustered rather than gridded plan of the settlement. Umm Al-Jimāl particularly thrived in the Late Antique period (c. 5th through 7th centuries), during which time most of its distinctive, well preserved houses were constructed.
The Barracks (UJAP)
After a probable gradual decline and abandonment of settlement by the end of the 8th century CE due to various internal and external factors, the site nonetheless still visited by travelers and used seasonally by the local nomadic population over the following centuries. Reoccupation proper came in the early 20th century when the Syrian Druze and then the local bedouin Mas'eid tribe reoccupied the ancient ruins. The site was fenced off in 1972 by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan and the modern settlement grew up around the basalt ruins.
To learn more about the history of the site and its people, click here.