| © Copyright 2011 by EyeJordan. All photos, graphics, images and stories are the property of EyeJordan and cannot be used without permission. |
Jerash, located 48 kilometers north of Amman is
considered one of the largest and most well-
preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world
outside Italy. To this day, its colonnaded streets,
baths, theaters, plazas and arches remain in
exceptional condition. Within the remaining city
walls, archaeologists have found the ruins of
settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age,
indicating human occupation at this location for
more than 6500 years. This is not surprising, as the
area is ideally suited for human habitation.
Jerash is fed year-round with water, while its
altitude of 500 meters gives it a temperate climate
and excellent visibility over they surrounding low-
lying areas.
The history of Jerash is a blend of the Greco-
Roman world of the Mediterranean basin and the
ancient traditions of the Arab Orient. Indeed, the
name of the city itself reflects this interaction. The
earliest Arab/Semitic inhabitants, who lived in the
area during the pre-classical period of the first
millenium BCE, named their village Garshu. The
Romans later Hellenised the former Arabic name of
Garshu into Gerasa, and the Bible refers to "the
region of the Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). At
the end of the 19th century, the Arab and
Circassian inhabitants of the small rural settlement
transformed the Roman Gerasa into the Arabic
Jerash.
It was not until the days of Alexander the Great that
Jerash truly began to prosper. After falling under
the rule of the Seleucid King Antioch in the second
century BCE, Jerash was conquered by the Roman
Emperor Pompey in 63 BCE. It was during the
period of Roman rule that Jerash, then known as
Gerasa, enjoyed its golden age. The Romans
assimilated Jerash into the province of Syria, and
later named it as one of the great cities of the
Decapolis League. The Decapolis was a
prosperous confederation of ten Roman cities
formed during the first century BCE, and linked by
powerful commercial, political and cultural interests.
Pliny mentioned the confederation in his Natural
History, listing the cities as Damascus, Philadelphia
(now Amman), Gerasa (Jerash), Scythopolis
(Beisan), Gadara (Umm Qais), Hippos, Dion, Pella,
Canatha and Raphana.
Over the next century and a half, trade flourished
with the Nabateans and Jerash prospered. The city
also benefited from the rich surrounding farmlands
and from iron ore mining in the Ajloun area. This
period saw the implementation of a typically Roman
city plan featuring a colonnaded main street
intersected by two side streets.
In 106 CE, the Emperor Trajan annexed the wealthy
Nabatean kingdom and formed the province of
Arabia. The Romans secured lines of
communication and trade with the Via Nova Triana
(Trajan New Road), which was built between 112-
114 CE and stretched all the way from Syria to
Aqaba. With even greater trading riches pouring in,
Jerash enjoyed another burst of construction
activity. Granite was brought from as far away as
Aswan (Egypt), and old temples were razed and
rebuilt according to the latest architectural fashion.
The city received yet another boost in stature with
the visit of Emperor Hadrian in 129 CE. To honor its
guest, the citizens raised a monumental Triumphal
Arch at the southern end of the city. Jerash’s
prosperity reached a peak in the beginning of the
third century, when the rank of Roman Colony was
bestowed upon it. During this "golden age," Jerash
may have had a population of 20,000 people. The
ancient city preserved today was the administrative,
civic, commercial and cultural center of this
community, while the bulk of the city’s citizens lived
on the east side of Wadi Jerash.
As the third century progressed, shipping began to
supplant overland caravans as the main route for
commerce. Jerash thus fell into decline as its
previously lucrative trade routes became less
traveled and less valuable. This trend was speeded
by frequent uprisings against the Romans—such as
the destruction of Palmyra in 273 CE—that made
the overland routes more dangerous.
In the year 330 CE, Emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity and proclaimed it the state
religion of the empire’s eastern, or Byzantine, half.
By the middle of the fifth century, Christianity had
become the major religion of the region and
numerous churches were constructed in Jerash. In
fact, most of these were built of stones taken from
pagan temples. No more churches were built after
the year 611 CE.
Jerash was hit further by the Persian invasion of
614 CE, which also sacked Damascus and
Jerusalem, and by the Muslim conquest of 636 CE.
The city was rocked again in the year 747 CE by a
series of earthquakes, and its population shrunk to
about 4000. Although the site was occupied in the
early Islamic period until around 800 CE, Jerash
was nothing more than a small rural village.
The Crusaders described Jerash as uninhabited,
and it remained abandoned until its rediscovery in
1806, when Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, a German
traveler, came across and recognized a small part
of the ruins. The ancient city was buried in sand,
which accounts for its remarkable preservation. It
has been gradually revealed through a series of
excavations which commenced in 1925, and
continue to this day.
Visitors to Jerash in late July or early August can
enjoy the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts an
exciting celebration of both Jordanian and
international culture. The ancient Roman
amphitheater comes to life once more as dancers,
musicians, acrobats, theatrical troupes and others
from all over the world come to celebrate the link
between ancient and modern culture in Jordan.
considered one of the largest and most well-
preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world
outside Italy. To this day, its colonnaded streets,
baths, theaters, plazas and arches remain in
exceptional condition. Within the remaining city
walls, archaeologists have found the ruins of
settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age,
indicating human occupation at this location for
more than 6500 years. This is not surprising, as the
area is ideally suited for human habitation.
Jerash is fed year-round with water, while its
altitude of 500 meters gives it a temperate climate
and excellent visibility over they surrounding low-
lying areas.
The history of Jerash is a blend of the Greco-
Roman world of the Mediterranean basin and the
ancient traditions of the Arab Orient. Indeed, the
name of the city itself reflects this interaction. The
earliest Arab/Semitic inhabitants, who lived in the
area during the pre-classical period of the first
millenium BCE, named their village Garshu. The
Romans later Hellenised the former Arabic name of
Garshu into Gerasa, and the Bible refers to "the
region of the Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). At
the end of the 19th century, the Arab and
Circassian inhabitants of the small rural settlement
transformed the Roman Gerasa into the Arabic
Jerash.
It was not until the days of Alexander the Great that
Jerash truly began to prosper. After falling under
the rule of the Seleucid King Antioch in the second
century BCE, Jerash was conquered by the Roman
Emperor Pompey in 63 BCE. It was during the
period of Roman rule that Jerash, then known as
Gerasa, enjoyed its golden age. The Romans
assimilated Jerash into the province of Syria, and
later named it as one of the great cities of the
Decapolis League. The Decapolis was a
prosperous confederation of ten Roman cities
formed during the first century BCE, and linked by
powerful commercial, political and cultural interests.
Pliny mentioned the confederation in his Natural
History, listing the cities as Damascus, Philadelphia
(now Amman), Gerasa (Jerash), Scythopolis
(Beisan), Gadara (Umm Qais), Hippos, Dion, Pella,
Canatha and Raphana.
Over the next century and a half, trade flourished
with the Nabateans and Jerash prospered. The city
also benefited from the rich surrounding farmlands
and from iron ore mining in the Ajloun area. This
period saw the implementation of a typically Roman
city plan featuring a colonnaded main street
intersected by two side streets.
In 106 CE, the Emperor Trajan annexed the wealthy
Nabatean kingdom and formed the province of
Arabia. The Romans secured lines of
communication and trade with the Via Nova Triana
(Trajan New Road), which was built between 112-
114 CE and stretched all the way from Syria to
Aqaba. With even greater trading riches pouring in,
Jerash enjoyed another burst of construction
activity. Granite was brought from as far away as
Aswan (Egypt), and old temples were razed and
rebuilt according to the latest architectural fashion.
The city received yet another boost in stature with
the visit of Emperor Hadrian in 129 CE. To honor its
guest, the citizens raised a monumental Triumphal
Arch at the southern end of the city. Jerash’s
prosperity reached a peak in the beginning of the
third century, when the rank of Roman Colony was
bestowed upon it. During this "golden age," Jerash
may have had a population of 20,000 people. The
ancient city preserved today was the administrative,
civic, commercial and cultural center of this
community, while the bulk of the city’s citizens lived
on the east side of Wadi Jerash.
As the third century progressed, shipping began to
supplant overland caravans as the main route for
commerce. Jerash thus fell into decline as its
previously lucrative trade routes became less
traveled and less valuable. This trend was speeded
by frequent uprisings against the Romans—such as
the destruction of Palmyra in 273 CE—that made
the overland routes more dangerous.
In the year 330 CE, Emperor Constantine
converted to Christianity and proclaimed it the state
religion of the empire’s eastern, or Byzantine, half.
By the middle of the fifth century, Christianity had
become the major religion of the region and
numerous churches were constructed in Jerash. In
fact, most of these were built of stones taken from
pagan temples. No more churches were built after
the year 611 CE.
Jerash was hit further by the Persian invasion of
614 CE, which also sacked Damascus and
Jerusalem, and by the Muslim conquest of 636 CE.
The city was rocked again in the year 747 CE by a
series of earthquakes, and its population shrunk to
about 4000. Although the site was occupied in the
early Islamic period until around 800 CE, Jerash
was nothing more than a small rural village.
The Crusaders described Jerash as uninhabited,
and it remained abandoned until its rediscovery in
1806, when Ulrich Jasper Seetzen, a German
traveler, came across and recognized a small part
of the ruins. The ancient city was buried in sand,
which accounts for its remarkable preservation. It
has been gradually revealed through a series of
excavations which commenced in 1925, and
continue to this day.
Visitors to Jerash in late July or early August can
enjoy the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts an
exciting celebration of both Jordanian and
international culture. The ancient Roman
amphitheater comes to life once more as dancers,
musicians, acrobats, theatrical troupes and others
from all over the world come to celebrate the link
between ancient and modern culture in Jordan.
| Back |
Jarash
