Travel and Hospitality in Late Antiquity: A Case Study from Umm el-Jimal in Eastern Jordan

Umm el-Jimal, a late-antique site in eastern Jordan, offers a unique glimpse into the travel and hospitality industry of over 1,700 years ago. This study reveals that the city was strategically designed to accommodate travelers along the Petra-Damascus trade route, with its architecture—featuring courtyard houses—and pioneering water infrastructure supporting a thriving subsistence economy in an otherwise resource-scarce region. The presence of eighteen churches in a small area suggests they also served as waystations for visitors, highlighting the site's dual role in both hospitality and religious function. The research combines architectural analysis, ethnography, and archaeological synthesis to reconstruct this aspect of late-antique life.

Al-Shorman, A., Ababneh, A., Rawashdih, A., Makhadmih, A., Alsaad, S., & Jamhawi, M. (2017). Travel and Hospitality in Late Antiquity: A Case Study from Umm el-Jimal in Eastern Jordan. Near Eastern Archaeology, 80(1), 22–28. https://doi.org/10.5615/neareastarch.80.1.0022