About 1.5 km north of ancient Gerasa, in a fertile valley fed by springs, an intriguing ensemble of buildings associated with fertility cults captures the imagination of visitors and challenges the work of researchers.

The centerpiece of the site is a large reservoir measuring 88.50 x 43.50 m and up to 3 m deep, divided by a wall into two unequal parts, from which the name Birketein (Arabic: two basins) derives. Set into the hillside behind it are the remains of a small theater which could seat around 1000 spectators. Between the pools and the theater there used to be a colonnade or arcades, along which an ancient processional road ran northward. Next to the theater, Roman baths with a well-preserved hypocaust system were excavated. Along the road were also found tombs, the most remarkable of which is that of Germanus 200 meters to the north, a mausoleum with a subterranean vault and portico.

The connection of Birketein to a place of worship is evidenced by an inscription from the 2nd century AD, which commemorates the construction of a temple dedicated to Zeus Epicarpius (guardian of the harvests). Unfortunately, no remains could yet be attributed to this temple, but it can be assumed that it was located on the top of the hill. The cultic character of the site and the kind of practices that were performed until the Byzantine period is confirmed by a much later inscription (from the 6th century AD) which indicates that the Maiumas festival was celebrated at Birketein. The term maiumas, of Semitic origin, is related to sea/water. Mentioned by writers of the fourth and later centuries, it is known that it was celebrated as a fertility cult in other places throughout the region. The festivities included processions, water rituals that could be wild and excessive, theatrical performances, and other activities.

Since the buildings at Birketein date from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, but the Maiumas celebrations were not attested until late antiquity, it is likely that similar rites were originally dedicated to other deities. As Achim Lichtenberger writes: "If one searches for the roots of the Maiumas, which was documented in Gerasa in 535 AD, then two possibilities can be suggested. On the one hand, a connection with Zeus Epikarpios seems conceivable, but on the other hand, a reference to possible water rites of the Artemis cult in Gerasa can also be postulated." (Transl.UiU) An early third-century dedication to the goddess Artemis by "the gardeners of the upper valley" found at the Artemis Sanctuary in Gerasa could also support this assumption, as these higher lands where located to the north of the ancient city and the large double pools of Birketein might have been used for irrigation of agricultural lands.