Abila (Decapolis)
Abila Dekapoleos | |
A view into Wadi Qweilibeh from the flank of Tell Umm al-Amad. The forested strip in the foreground is the course of a stream The structures beyond the stream are a cemetery, with rock-cut tombs up on the far slope. | |
| Alternative name | Seleukeia (Greek), Seleucia (Latin), Raphana (Latin), Quwaylibah (Arabic) |
|---|---|
| Location | Irbid Governorate |
| Region | Northern Region (geographic only) |
| Coordinates | 32°40′52″N 35°52′11″E / 32.68111°N 35.86972°E |
| Altitude | 440 m (1,444 ft) |
| Type | Settlement |
| Part of | Dekapolis |
| Length | 1,500 m (0.93 mi) |
| Width | 600 m (0.37 mi) |
| History | |
| Material | Mainly limestone blocks quarried locally |
| Founded | 1950 BC, start of Middle Bronze Age |
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Abila, distinguished as Abila in the Decapolis (Ancient Greek: Ἄβιλα Δεκαπόλεως, Abila Dekapoleos), and also known for a time as Seleucia (Ancient Greek: Σελεύκεια, Seleúkeia), and Abila Viniferos ( by Eusebios, by Hieronymus Abela Vini fertilis), was a city in the Decapolis; the site, now referred to as Qweilbeh (Arabic: قويلبة; also Quwaylibah, Qualibah), occupies two tells, Tell al-Abila and Khirbet Tell Umm al-Amad.
The site was submitted to the list of tentative World Heritage sites under criteria I, III and IV on June 18, 2001, by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.