CITY RUINS
Read moreBefore passing through the entrance on the south side of the site, you can see the importance of the surrounding wall which served as a rampart against attacks from invaders. It was probably during the reign of the Roman Emperor Commodus (180-192) that the seven gates were ordered to be built. It seems that the wall was transformed and improved by his successors for military purposes.
Following the path that winds along the ruins, you can see a barracks on your left. It is believed to date from Roman times and has the distinction of having a six-storey tower (added in the Byzantine period), surrounded by housing on its sides. The tower has four rectangular openings at the top, each representing an archangel: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Uriel. The three-aisled chapel to the east of the barracks dates from the Byzantine period (6th century).
To the left, near the southwest gate, are the ruins of a residential area. The houses are built in all directions. Further on, on the left, you can see a temple, near a cistern. At the beginning of the excavations, archaeologists had identified this large building as being the heritage of the Nabataeans. Views have differed, and it appears to be a temple from the Roman occupation.
A few dozen meters to the north, one can distinguish a vast building with two wings: the praetorium, or Roman headquarters. Enlarged by the Byzantines, it has three entrance doors and, if you go through the one on the left, you will find a small atrium with four columns. The building also contained rooms and a terrace, which unfortunately are no longer visible.
A little further north, one of the most massive monuments in the whole city stands out: the cathedral, built in the 6th century and now in ruins. It was so named because it was much larger than the other churches in the city. Further on are the four arches of what was once a church. Beautiful Byzantine crosses are still visible.
As you go down towards the south-east, behind the cathedral, you will notice some houses, and then a fairly well-preserved reservoir, fed by an aqueduct that carried the rainwater collected in the wadi outside the city. On the other hand, not much remains of the two churches of Claudianos and Julianos (south of the reservoir). It is important to note that one of them had the oldest oratory in the city (345).