The Black City of Jordan
Umm al-Jimal was one of the cities of the Decapolis in Jordan, but it contrasts with the rest. It's located on the edge of the basalt desert in the northeast of the country. To get to Irbid, it takes about an hour from Amman. I still don't know who built it or when, but supposedly, it's was in the 2nd century and served for military work, constituting an Arabic defence against the Romans. 747 earthquakes have toppled it, and it was never completely rebuilt. What's most outstanding is the large number of buildings that there were to store and convey water, because of its location in the desert. There are channels carved in stone, and covered cisterns and discovered baths. It's completely and exclusively built in black basalt, because of the shortages of wood and other materials in the region. Still standing is the fort's tower, some houses, arcades and several churches. Currently, much of the city is clean and has ways to get there by tour because there is a working archaeology project there.
