Um Qais is the Biblical Gadara. According to the Bible, it is the place where Jesus cast the devils out from two men into a herd of swine.

Um Qais is situated 110 km north of Amman, on a hilltop facing the Golan Heights with a spectacular view of Sea of Galilee.

Historically, Um Qais was one of the ten Decapolis cites. It had been under the rule of Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Muslims. Its construction, largely from black basalt, gives a unique look to the city.

Gadara was esteemed as a center for learning the performing arts during the Biblical era.