It was built on an earlier Nabataean settlement and is constructed from square chunks of basalt rock, supported by rectangular beams, also of basalt. It is once believed to have been a staging post for camel caravans.

The ruined city contains a large number of water cisterns, both for public and domestic use. As Umm el Jimal is a great distance away from any natural water source, it is difficult to see how the ancient citizens procured their water. There are aqueducts built at ground level, however, so it is only to be supposed that the people were enterprising enough to channel water along these aqueducts from a distance of many miles.