Jordan - Jerash, The "Pompeii of Middle East"
Jerash is an ancient city with a history that goes back more than 6500 years and is one of the largest and most well preserved Roman site in the world.
Jerash is
also known as “Pompeii of Middle East”. It is close to Amman, the capital of Jordan,
so if you stay there it’s definetely worth visiting. The archeological site is pretty big; within its walls reaches a size of around 80 ha.
The
entrance to the site is through a massive well-preserved gate, called the Arch
of Hadrian. From the fist moment you see this construction you will know what
to expect of your journey here. It was constructed to honor the visit of the
Roman Emperor Hadrian; that’s where it also got its name.
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| Arch of Hadrian |
The Southern Theater is the largest and oldest of the three theaters of ancient Gerasa and could hold up to 3000 spectators. It was built between 90-92 AD.
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| A detail of the Southern Theater |
Here, a teenage boy asked me if I want to let him take some
nice pictures of me with my phone. This is a usual thing to happen in Jordan,
even more in a tourist area. I agreed and he took me upstairs, at the top of
the theater and then told me how to pose 😊)). Being the first time I encounter this situation, I didn’t really
know what to expect. I was prepared mentally that I should give him some tips
for his effort. He really took some nice pictures of me. But all my change was 1
JOD and I felt like I’d better give nothing than 1 JOD (even though, converted
to my money, it’s actually pretty much for just some photos). After we
finished, he asked me for money. I told him all I have is 1 JOD and gave it to
him, but I don’t think he believed me, because he kept stalking me for more money or
to convince me to buy some jewelries from his shop.
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| Picture taken by the Jordanian boy at Souther Theater |
There is a
viewpoint where you can see the Oval Plaza and most of the ancient city of
Jerash. Here are also some men offering themselves to take pictures of you and
then trying to get you into buying from their souvenir shops.
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| View of the Oval Plaza |
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| Picture taken by the Jordanian guy |
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| Temple of Zeus |
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| Columns at the Temple of Artemis |
Inside the
site, there is also an Archeological Museum with different collections of
artifacts from different periods of history, from Neolithic to Mamluk to
Islamic period. Among these you’ll see ancient pottery, statues, coins, jewellery
and mosaics.
There are
many many massive constructions here such as the Amphitheatre, Church of St.
Theodore, Southern and Northen Theaters, Temple of Artemis, the South Gate and
and many others, whose names I do not remember. Beautiful columns and arches
follow you all along your walk inside Jerash, in all shapes and sizes.
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| The South Gate |
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