Category: Jordan Culture and History

Jerash (also known as Gerasa) is a very ancient city of Jordan located in the north of Jordan about 50 kiometers noth of the City of Amman. It is the second most popular toured city in Jordan after Petra.

The city dates back to the bronze age with traces dating to around 3500 B.C. Jerash is known to have been founded by Alexander the Great. The remains that one notices in the city are from the Roman period when the Romans built various temples and fortresses in the area. Jerash is known to bring together cultures of the Roman era as well as from the Middle East.

The city started to see a Muslim influence during the times of the Ayyubid, Mamluk Sultanate, and the Ottomans.

Some of the remains in Jerash city include the following that can be included in the list of things to do when visiting the city:

• Numerous Corinthium columns
• Hadrian’s Arch – Built to honor the visit of Emperor Hadrian to Gerasa.
• The circus/hippodrome
• Temples of Zeus and Artemis.
• The Oval Forum
• The long colonnaded street or cardo
• The large South Theatre and smaller North Theatre.
• Two communal baths
• A number of scattered small temples
• A large Nymphaeum fed by an aqueduct
• An almost complete circuit of city walls
• A water powered saw mill that was used for cutting stone and rocks
• Two large bridges across the nearby river.

Other things to do in Jerash, Jordan include the popular Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts. It is one of the largest cultural festivals of the region and is usually held in the month July. When planning a trip in the summer to Jordan, it would be wise to make it coincide with this festival to make the trip quit worthwhile. More information on the festival and its dates can be found here.

The following are some of the pictures related to the city.

Read about Muslim Communities in Seattle

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