srettig24 Recreation of the worlds oldest machine
Jerash has several other names: Gerasa, Gerash, or Gerasha. Jerash was a large city that was part of the Holy Roman Empire and was created on an old trading route. Jerash was the largest city at the time in Jordan, and was one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the Near East.
Jerash is considered to have the best-preserved Roman structures outside of Italy. It is about one hour from Amman and well worth the trip. Jerash hit its prime at the Golden Age of the Roman Empire, which is still obvious today. The quality of the structures really bring into perspective how wealthy and prosperous the Roman Empire was when Jerash was at its peak.
Arch of Hadrian
Arch of Hadrian is also known as Triumphal Arch. This was built in honor of Emperor Hadrian in about AD 129. This structure is the first thing that you see when you first enter Jerash. Next to the Arch of Hadrian is the hippodrome where games were played and spectated.
Oval Plaza
I had never seen anything like this before and it was amazing to see. I could not resist taking a lot of photos just to demonstrate the size of the plaza. There are 56 limestone columns that create the oval Plaza. As you can see above the plaza is huge (90mx80m).
Ampitheaters
There are two different theatres at Jerash. The Southern theatre built in 165 AD is pictured directly below. When I was there a man was playing the bagpipes which I enjoyed but it was very unexpected. He said it was to celebrate the relationship between Jordan and America, I don’t think I want to know any Scots reaction to that! The North Theater can hold 1,600 people and was expanded in 235 AD. The Southern Theater was built in 165 but was restored recently to what it most likely looked like during the time. This theater holds 5,000 people!
Ancient Column
Columns line the Colonnaded street which is also known as the Cardo Maximus. The stones along this road is original and is where chariot races occurred. This street was a vital part of Jerash and a major point of commerce within the city with sellers lining both sides of this street. Evidence has been found of a sewer system demonstrated how developed Jerash was.
The Temple of Zeus was built in 162 AD and is located next to the Southern Theatre. The Temple of Zeus was built on top of the remains of an earlier Roman Temple. There is a great view of the rest of the city from this view point, unfortunately it was too late in the day to get a good photo.
The Nymphaeum was under restoration when I was there and did not get a clear photo of it
There are several other Roman ruins if you are interested in them. I was interested in going to Umm Qais but didn’t have enough time to go. Another famous one is the Ailjon Castle, located between Amman and Umm Qais. Several are fairly far from Amman and it would be easier to rent a car or hire a taxi for the day to get there.
