Corbeled Roof

West Church, Umm al-Jimal, Jordan

A corbeled roof, in which long cantilevered stones support the span of the ceiling, covers a side room off the apse. Vaults and domes were well-known to the architects of Umm al-Jimal, but corbeling is practical for small rooms because one doesn't have to construct a scaffolding. The possibility has also been raised that corbeling at Umm al-Jimal may be a product, at least in some cases, of 20th century repairs by the Druze.