JERASH

JERASH: 

We were up and on the bus making our way to Jerash to see the Roman ruins. 

Located some 48 km (30 miles) north of the capital Amman, Jerash is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. 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).

Jerash became an urban center during the 3rd century BC and a member of the federation of Greek cities known as the Decapolis ("ten cities" in Greek). Jerash prospered during the 1st century BC as a result of its position on the incense and spice trade route from the Arabian Peninsula to Syria and the Mediterranean region. Jerash was a favorite city of the Roman emperor, Hadrian, and reached its zenith in AD 130, flourishing economically and socially. The city began to decline in the 3rd century, later becoming a Christian city under the rule of the Byzantine empire. The Muslims took over in AD 635, but the final blow to the city was dealt by Baldwin II of Jerusalem in AD 1112 during the Crusades.

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.

As beautiful and as magnificent as this historically significant is, it is not a UNESCO site. The reason being some of the restoration was done with new stone and this automatically disqualifies this as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  These ruins are inspiring and there are many more discoveries yet to be unearthed. 

After visiting the site we went to a local restaurant for a buffet lunch, beef chicken and rice and many other Jordanian dishes were offered.  We enjoyed the bread baked in a large Tandoori, by forming the dough into a thin flat round which is tossed onto the inside roof of the oven. Fresh out of the oven makes it taste like heaven.