The heat was tipping the scale towards unbearable as we walked through some of the best preserved ruins of a Roman city in the world. Despite the weather, which hovered around the low 100's, visiting was quite an experience. Jerash is only about 30 miles outside of crazy, busy Amman - but as soon as you walk through Hadrian's Arch you enter a different world completely. One of the reasons that Jerash is so well preserved is because nothing is really done to the site. All around are pillars, standing tall, falling down, everything rests as it has for centuries. People are allowed to walk, climb, crawl over everything (note the kids on the pillars of the Arch) and weeds grow freely throughout the compound. There's a certain authenticity here, almost like you have no choice but to take it as it is and imagine the rest on your own. The depth of history here is a bit mind boggling, another reason why the Jordan Rough Guide book was such a fantastic purchase. According to the guide, archaelogical investigation has revealed evidence of settlement going back to the Middle Bronze Age (1600 BC). The actual city of Jerash (Gerasa in ancient times) was founded around 170 BC but the majority of the city's growth didn't occur until the first century AD. It is the basic town plan and layout from this time that survives today. Can't wait to bring mom here - maybe she'll be more impressed by Jerash than the Colosseum in Rome?
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| Hadrian's Arch |
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| Columns in the Oval Plaza |
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