Jerash

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Jerash is a city in northern Jordan, known for its Roman ruins.

	jerash Travel Guide : 1 Understand 1.1 Orientation 2 Get in 2.1 By car 3 See 4 Do 5 Eat 6 Sleep

Understand

Located some 48 km (30 miles) north of the capital Amman, Jerash is above all known for the ruins of the Graeco-Roman oriental city of Gerasa, also known as Antioch on the Golden River. The site is a close rival to Petra in terms of popularly-visited ancient ruins. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East", referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation (though Jerash was never buried by a volcano....)

Orientation

Modern Jerash sprawls to the east of the ruins, sharing the same city wall but little else. Thankfully, the ruins have been carefully preserved and spared from encroachment.

Get in

By car

From Amman take the north-west road out towards Salt, but turn northwards at the first major junction, signposted for Jerash and Irbid.

See

Admission into the ruins costs JD 5, including the Jerash Archaeological Museum. The site opens at 7:30 AM and closes at 7 PM. The first part of Jerash's ruins are outside the core city:

• Hadrian's Arch. Built in 129 AD to mark Emperor Hadrian's visit, this was supposed to become the new southern gate of the city.
• Hippodrome. A Roman-era stadium, 245m long and 52m wide, to your left after the arch. Only partly restored.

The massive city wall, covering nearly all of the ancient city but much of the modern city as well, marks the heart of the city. The Visitor's Centre is located at the entrance. The site is large and poorly signposted, so be sure to pick up a map to orient yourself and understand what you are seeing.

• Forum (Oval Plaza). An unusual wide plaza at the beginning of the Cardo, surrounded by more columns.
• The Cardo. A colonnaded street at the heart of the the city. Look for chariot tracks in the stone.
• South Theater. An amphitheatre seating 3000, still occasionally used today for concerts and musical productions.
• Jerash Archaeological Museum. Features a collection of artifacts found at the site. Free entry (once you have paid to enter the park itself).

Do

Jerash is home to an annual Music and Arts Festival 1 (http://www.jerashfestival.com.jo/) each summer. Daily shows at the hippodrome (circus) with chariot races, gladiator fights and Roman legionaries (The Roman Army and Chariot Experience) 2 (http://www.jerashchariots.com/).

Eat

• The Resthouse, at the entrance to the archaeological park, offers overpriced Jordanian fare in reasonably pleasant surroundings.

Sleep

There is one place to stay in Jerash, just across the road from the entrance to the ruins, and another 7km outside of town at the top of a steep hill, it's a hard walk, only really practical with a vehicle. As both places offer a poor value compared to Amman, most visitors daytrip from Amman.

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