Umm al Jimal, also known as the black Gem of the Desert, is located at the end of the eastern basalt desert plain, along a road that was close to the junction of several ancient trade routes that linked central Jordan with Syria and Iraq. Among the most interesting structures to visit are the tall barracks with their little chapel, several large churches, numerous water cisterns, the outlines of a Roman fort and the remains of several town gates.

Umm al Rassas was mentioned in both the Old and the New Testaments. Excavations there have uncovered some of the finest Byzantine church mosaics in the Middle East. It has various marvelous ruins including a 15-meter Byzantine tower used by early Christian monks seeking solitude.

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