Amman - Jordan

The archaeological mission from the Faculty of Archeology and Anthropology at Yarmouk University made an important discovery at the “Khirbet Qibla” site southwest of the town of Zubia in Irbid Governorate, during the first season of excavations for the summer semester of 2026, where it found a liquor press from the Byzantine era carved into the limestone rock, along with tombs and the remains of a small church that had not been documented in historical records before.

An integrated facility for grape pressing

The Dean of the College, Dr. Khaled Al-Bashira, explained that the discovered spirits press consists of a connected series of basins designated for pressing grapes, precipitating them, and collecting their juice, and they are connected by channels carefully drilled into the rock, which indicates that it is an integrated facility built specifically for producing spirits and accommodating large quantities of crops.

From an olive press to a church
In addition to the press, excavators found individual graves and family graves dating back to the Roman and Byzantine eras, in addition to the remains of a small church that appear to the public for the first time. The archaeological surprise lies in the fact that the evidence indicates that the church building was originally an old olive press, which was converted into a place of worship, which reflects the intelligence of the residents in reusing existing structures over time according to the changes in their lives.

Centuries of human settlement

Preliminary results confirm that “Khirbet Qibla” was inhabited for long and extended periods, as it witnessed successive human settlement during the Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic eras. Al-Bashira stressed that these results enhance the historical value of the site and provide a solid foundation for the upcoming excavation seasons, which contributes to documenting and protecting Jordanian cultural heritage.

A promising tourism and investment opportunity
This discovery represents a qualitative addition to tourist destinations in Jordan, which is full of diverse archaeological sites. The new discoveries in “Khirbet Qibla” open promising horizons for tourism investment in the region, through the development of tourist trails linking this site with other archaeological sites in Irbid Governorate, northern Jordan. The unique character of the church converted from an olive press constitutes an attraction for tourists interested in history and antiquities, which calls for investment in infrastructure and tourism services such as hotels, restaurants, and visitor centers, in addition to investing in digital content that tells the unique story of this site to a global audience, which enhances the economic returns of the region and creates new job opportunities for local residents.