Umm Qais (Gadara) West Theatre

3D Model

The West Theatre of the ancient city of Gadara (modern Umm Qais).

The west theatre was built out of locally quarried grey basalt into the western slope of the acropolis at the southern end of the Cardo street and the Roman Terrace during a period of rapid urban expansion in the second half of the 2nd Century CE.

The auditorium (cavea) is made up of three tiers of seating divided into wedge-shaped seating sections by steps to allow the audience in and out of their seats and had enough space for about 3000 people. The West theatre collapsed during the earthquake in 749CE that also substantially damaged the rest of the Roman/Byzantine city.

As this model was built from our aerial imagery the vaulted corridor (crypta) underneath the second tier of seating isn’t visible… We have laser scan data we’ll be incorporating soon.... watch this space!

(c)2020 Living Museum Umm Qais (www.UmmQaisHeritage.com)