Hamat Gader Thermal Area

Hamat Gader, at the confluence of the Yarmouk and Jordan rivers on the Syrian-Jordanian-Israeli border, is one of the most historically significant thermal spa sites in the ancient world, where sulphurous springs at around 42°C were developed by the Romans into a magnificent thermal complex — among the largest in the eastern Roman Empire — and where Byzantine mosaics, Roman theatre seating, and spectacular bathing halls testify to centuries of imperial patronage. The site, whose name in Hebrew means 'warm spring of the fence' reflecting its border location, has been contested territory throughout its history and today operates as a spa resort on the Israeli side of the tri-border area. The extraordinary combination of Roman imperial thermal architecture, the Jordan valley landscapes of the Golan Heights, and the geological activity of the Jordan Rift Valley makes Hamat Gader one of the Levant's most remarkable thermal heritage sites.