Umm el Jimal contains at least fifteen churches and chapels from the Byzantine period — an unusual concentration for a town of its size, reflecting the prosperity and piety of the community during the 5th and 6th centuries CE. The churches are built entirely from basalt in a style characteristic of the Hauran region: no mortar, no decoration on the exterior, but carefully fitted stone that has held together for 1,500 years.
The Cathedral, the largest of the churches, retains its basic plan and several walls to considerable height. Mosaic floors have not survived in most of the churches, though some geometric paving stones remain in a few. The Greek inscriptions identifying donors and commemorating the dead appear on a number of the church buildings and provide some of the most direct documentary evidence of who lived here and when.