ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
Umm Qais (Gadara)
Umm Qais
- Locality
- Umm Qais
- Type of place
- ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
- Coordinates
- 32.65564° N, 35.67802° E
- Identity
- Matched to a public listing
A brief history
Ancient Gadara, a city of the Decapolis, survives at Umm Qais with Roman monuments and Byzantine Christian remains. Its basilicas reveal a later Christian community. Matthew 8:28–34 names the region of the Gadarenes; this regional association does not establish an exact miracle location among today’s ruins.
An interesting detail
The West Basilica was built over a Roman mausoleum. Its possible connection with the Gospel story is an interpretation of later Christian commemoration, not archaeological proof of the miracle.
Bible connections
Gospel accounts and manuscript traditions use different regional names: Gadarenes, Gerasenes and Gergesenes. Translations may therefore differ. These references do not identify the ruins as the exact scene.