Ammon News - More than 71,000 people visited the archaeological city of Umm Qais in Bani Kinanah District, Irbid Governorate, between January and July 2026, according to official figures.

The data showed that the site received 71,289 Jordanian and international visitors during the first seven months of 2026, compared with 82,266 visitors during the same period in 2025.

Figures indicate that visitor numbers declined by 13.3% over the seven-month period compared with the corresponding period in 2025.

Of the total visitors recorded between January and July 2026, 8,648 were foreign tourists and 62,641 were Jordanians, bringing the total to 71,289.

During the same period in 2025, the site welcomed 13,669 foreign visitors and 68,597 Jordanian visitors, for a total of 82,266.

Located in northern Jordan's Irbid Governorate, Umm Qais was known in antiquity as Gadara and was renowned as a center of culture, home to numerous poets and philosophers. Perched on a scenic hilltop overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee, the site is famous for its impressive colonnaded streets and vaulted terrace.

In 2022, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) selected Umm Qais as one of the Best Tourism Villages in the World, after it met all of the organization's required criteria.