BAITULMAQDIS UMRAH CHAPTER 13: Exploring the 2000- year old Roman ruins of Jerash

12 December 2016

Today is our last day in Jordan we will be stopping over at Jerash for a short tour before catching our flight to Madinah. It has been an informative and thought provoking journey so far in Palestine and Jordan and I despite the aching feet and the exhaustion, I am glad we made it here.

We were told that we will be stopping over at Jerash but I have no information or knowledge about the place since there were minimal Islamic related activity and history here, thus I will only be providing the basic information that was shared by the guides.

Upon arrival, we saw these. The place was huge and the thought of walking around the entire area was already exhausting me the elder ones in the group. The site covers a huge area and can seem daunting at first, especially as there’s virtually no signage.

The Arch of Hadrian was built to honour the visit of Emperor Hadrian to Gerasa in 129/130 AD.

Nevertheless, we wanted to remain in high spirits.

The history of the city is a blend of the Greco-Roman world of the Mediterranean Basin and the ancient traditions of the Arab Orient. The name of the city reflects this interaction. Jerash is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the “Pompeii of the Middle East” or of Asia, referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation.

Spot the tired Baba stealing some time to sit down after all the walking.

We were told that this place went through several major earthquakes thus the remains are what we are seeing now. Everything about the architecture is huge, which reflects how ambitious the people were back then.

The weather was starting to get hotter and hotter and I am glad we were all in good running / walking shoes. If you are heading here for a visit, wear good shoes!

Here at the Oval Forum.

The bestie and me were busy taking photos of each other and minding our own business when a stranger insisted in helping to take photos of us together………….. while a briefing was going on. Check out our awkward smiles lol.

Jerash has developed dramatically in the last century with the growing importance of the tourism industry in the city. Jerash is now the second-most popular tourist attraction in Jordan, closely behind the ruins of Petra. On the western side of the city, the ruins have been carefully preserved.

Taking short break before continuing the tour.

As we walked on, I continued to be amazed by the architecture, the same ones built hundreds of years ago and survived a series of earthquakes.

We arrived at the North Theatre where we were entertained by the comical musicians for a short while.

The location of the city, being just half an hour ride from the largest three cities in Jordan (Amman, Zarqa and Irbid), makes Jerash a good business location.

Trying to take with the view. Check out the vast area at the back that we did not manage to explore.

Our last few shots here after all the walk. It would be best to bring a hat, water bottle and wear good shoes as it can be pretty warm.

One group pic of the entire troop.

Thank you Encik Ahmad and Kak Rosnah for always making sure we are safe and that no one is left behind. Very excited for our next leg of trip in Madinah and Mekah.