Umm el-Jimal

The objective is to restore House 119 and adapt it to house a museum, resthouse and bathroom facilities. House 119 is a simple Byzantine farmstead with several rooms and a courtyard with walls preserved up to on story high. Its simplicity is punctuated by rows of elegant mangers in two of the rooms. These mangers beg to be used as service counters for modern human eaters and drinkers. The house is conveniently located at the touristic entrance to the site, adjacent to ample parking space.

In preparation a portion of the Umm el-Jimal Project 1992 season was devoted to the recording of the architecture of House 119, and the 1993 season was almost entirely spent on its stratigraphic excavation (see 1981-1992 report and 1993-1994 report). In the 1994 season de Vries and architect Amjad Bataineh of the Department of Antiquities continued work on the concept and Mr. Bataineh produced a set of plans.