Hi,
During the time Atzva and I tried to get pregnant, we visited Hamat Gader. This is an hot springs and Spa site. While Atzva had massage (I hate when people touch me), I was looking for the real Hamat Gader.
You see, the complex with pools for the hot springs was here long before the Israeli Spa was built. It was called Hamat Gader – Hamat for hot and Gader for the city Gader that was above it (Now Umm-Qais Jordan). The Roman built here a magnificent Spa site here when the ruled the area. Those buildings are now ruins. You can only look on it from above when you are in the Spa site, although only a gate is between you and it. The place sitting down on the Yarmuk river valley.
But today we managed to get there and visit the old Roman ruins, the real Hamat Gader. They were built around 200 and used until 749 earthquake. The water to the Roman spa came from Ein El-Maqleh spring (52c degrees! The name means hell or frying pan) to feed 7 pools with different water temperatures. Amazing how it looks now, 1800 years after it was built and several earthquakes, and still some of the arches still standing. It is under reservation works and might be open some day.
Later on the Ottoman built an hotel with its Turkish Hamam built on a different hot spring nearby for bathing. The Valley train had a station here for the spa site just before it started its climb up the Yarmuk valley over bridges and in tunnels.
The walls of the Ottoman building with the hot spring water is standing and the pool is amazing! This Ein Jones (Ein Reiah) hot spring we visited in. The water are hot, very hot. Someone claimed it is 37c degrees (“It will boil you balls” she said to her husband).
Later another hotel was built, Margoa hotel, just before the war of Independence. The main building of the hotel is now an army post. It might be the place the Israeli spy Eli Cohen visited during his time in Syria.
The ruins of the officers Syrian hotel room are nearby (many pools on the Golan Heights were built for the use of officers of the Syrian army, and called the officers’ pool). The hotel rooms are fenced with signs warning the building are dangerous.
The spa site now days host a small water park, hot and cold pools and also alligators farm along other animals. The spa is fed from the Ein Balzem spring which is the biggest hot spring in Hamat Gader, but not the hottest.
Take Care
Gad
P.S.
The place host a wonderful old synagogue which is now ruined and abandon.
The way to spring and the Roman complex are either by walking from the Spa parking lot or on the border fence
The roman complex map (Source: www.hadashot-esi.org.il)
The biggest pool in roman complex, it was the fountains’ pool (1). Behind you can see the tower of the mosuqe of the town Al-Hamma.
The aqueduct from the spring to the fountains’ pool
Second biggest pool (2) in the roman complex
The pool (3) with the arches standing
Ein El-Miqleh (4), that supplied the hot water to the Roman complex of Hamat Gader
The water from the spring flowing down to the Yarmuk river
The pool next to the fountain
Archeological renovation works on the site
The staircase (7) between the spa site and the Roman complex
The building of the Hamam (Ein-Jones)
The other side of the building, where the entrance was originally placed.
The Hamam (Ein-Jones)
Bathing in Ein-Jones
Bubbles of air raising from the bottom of the pool
Second pool in the Hamam – dirty and unassailable
Third pool in the Hamam (Ein-Jones) – unassailable and full of construction trash
The showroom from the days Syria took over the place
The roof of the showroom of the Hamam. This is a ribbed slab, common also in Israel, but the blocks (red clay blocks) are unique
The Hamam (Ein-Jones/ Ein Rih) from above (Source: Nitzan Dror)
The Syrian Zimmers
The ruined main building of the Syrian officers’ hotel
Marpeh (Hilling in Hebrew) hotel, now used as military post
Hamat Gader area map (Source: www.hadashot-esi.org.il)
El-Hamma (Hamat Gader) on 1938, the train staion on the left-down and the Hamama and Roman complex on the right top (Source: Corporal collection)