Abila

Abila was one of the cities of the Decapolis, spread across two hills and the saddle between them north of Irbid, and it remains largely unexcavated: a theatre cut into a slope, the outlines of Byzantine churches, columns lying where they fell in the earthquake, tombs cut into the hillsides with painted decoration inside, and olive groves growing over most of the rest. Almost nobody visits and there is no gate.

History

The name comes from the Semitic Abel, "meadow" in Hebrew and "green growth" in Arabic, and the south hill is called Umm al-Amad, "Mother of the Columns". Jordan put the site on its tentative list for UNESCO in 2001 (Wikipedia, Abila (Decapolis)).

What's there

• The two tells - the hills the city was built across, with the saddle between.
• The fallen columns - the shafts lying where the earthquake dropped them.
• The rock-cut tombs - the burials in the hillsides, some with painted interiors.
• The unexcavated ground - olive groves growing over most of the city.

When to go

March to May and October to November are the comfortable months. Spring brings wild flowers across the site. Summer is hot with no shade.

Good to know

Nothing is signposted or interpreted and the site takes finding. There is no gate, guard or facility. Tombs are locked or unsafe and should not be entered alone.

Nearby

Irbid is south, and Umm Qais is northwest.

Key facts