Umm Qais is an amazing place to visit - built on another stunningly preserved Roman town, Gadara. It was here, according to biblical legend, that a herd of swine ran into the Sea of Galilee, having had the demons named "Legion" transferred into their unfortunate piggy brains by an apparant miracle. I'm not sure the pigs would have entirely agreed with that particular classification of the event.
At any rate, you can see from this town the most incredible and literal vista of ancient and modern politics possibly anywhere in the world. From this hill you can look out across the sea around and upon which the most influential individual the world has known (ok, apart from Oprah) walked. Standing in Jordan, on your left lies Israel, on the right tower the Golan Heights, the Israeli-occupied buffer zone which is the focus of the ongoing war between that state and Syria.
Quite oblivious to all of this, the old city made of the marvellous local black stone lies, one of the most striking Roman relics of the region I've seen, as it has for thousands of years. Having existed through many such disputes, and even a few debatable miracles, it's kind of reassuring to know that whatever happens here over this century, places of immense tranquility such as this will exist here - a testament to the incredible tale that is human history, and a reminder that our problems today will one day be just another chapter.
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