Jerash, ancient Gerasa, lies 50 km north of Amman and is one of the largest and best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere. It was one of the Decapolis, prospered under Roman rule from 63 BCE, declined after an earthquake in 749 and was then buried and forgotten until a German traveller identified it in 1806. Excavation has been continuous since the 1920s.
The Oval Plaza
The signature space is an oval forum, 90 by 80 m, paved with limestone slabs and enclosed by 56 Ionic columns. The shape is unusual in Roman planning and was probably a solution to joining the temple of Zeus to the main street at an awkward angle. Standing in it at opening time, before the coaches, is the reason to arrive early.
The cardo
From the plaza the colonnaded main street runs 800 m north, still paved with its original slabs and still showing the grooves worn by cart wheels. Manholes in the pavement open onto the drainage system beneath. The nymphaeum, an ornamental fountain that once carried marble facing, and the propylaeum of the Artemis temple open off it.
Temples and theatres
The Temple of Artemis has eleven surviving columns, one of which visibly sways in the wind if you place a spoon in a joint — guides demonstrate it constantly and it is real, a consequence of lead joints designed to absorb earthquakes. The South Theatre seats 3000 with astonishing acoustics; the North Theatre is smaller and quieter. Hadrian Arch at the southern entrance was built for the emperor visit in 129.
The hippodrome
The chariot racing arena held 15,000 spectators. A daily show reconstructs Roman legionary drill and chariot racing, which is either enjoyable or embarrassing depending on temperament.
The festival
The Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts, held most summers in July, stages concerts and theatre in the Roman venues, and is the largest cultural event in the country.
Practicalities
Entry is 10 dinars and included in the Jordan Pass. Allow three hours minimum. There is no shade on the site and summer is punishing, so go early or late. Jerash combines easily with Ajloun Castle, 20 km west, as a day trip from Amman.
Two cities
Modern Jerash is a working town of 50,000 that sits immediately east of the ruins, separated only by a road. The ancient site was never built over because the modern settlement grew on the other bank, which is precisely why so much of it survives.
The Circassians
Ottoman authorities settled Circassian refugees from the Caucasus at Jerash in 1878, and their descendants still live in the town. It was their building work that first exposed the Roman remains.