Jerash, Jordan

Jerash (ancient Gerasa) is the capital of Jerash Governorate part of the Kingdom of Jordan. The total population of the city of Jerash and nearby villages exceeds 120,000 people.

Jerash is situated in the north of Jordan in the ancient region of Gilead, 45km north of the capital Amman. Jerash Governorate's geographical features varies from cold mountains to fertile valleys from (300 to 1100 Meters above the sea level), suitable for growing a wide variety of agricultural crops.

Ancient Jerash

The oval Forum of Roman Jerash, and the South end of the Cardo

Jerash, known in ancient times as Gerasa, is considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Near East. It was a city of the Decapolis.

Recent excavations show that Jerash was inhabited during the Bronze Age and Iron Age (3200 BC - 1200 BC. Jerash was a part of the Kingdom of Israel. After the Roman conquest in 63 BC, Jerash and the land surrounding it were annexed by the Roman province of Syria, and later joined the Decapolis cities. In AD 90, Jerash was absorbed into the Roman province of Arabia, which included the city of Philadelphia (modern day Amman). The Romans ensured security and peace in this area which enabled its people to devote their efforts and time to economic development and building activity.

In the second half of the first century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity. In AD 106, the Emperor Trajan constructed roads throughout the provinces and more trade came to Jerash. The Emperor Hadrian visited Jerash in AD 129-130. A remarkable Latin inscription records a religious dedication set up by members of the imperial mounted bodyguard "wintering" there. The Triumphal Arch (or Arch of Hadrian) was built to celebrate his visit.

Map of the Decapolis showing location of Gerasa (Jerash)

The city finally reached a size of about 800,000 square metres within its walls. The Persian invasion in AD 614 caused the rapid decline of Jerash. However, the city continued to flourish during the Umayyad Period, as shown by recent excavations. In AD 746, a major earthquake destroyed much of Jerash and its surroundings. During the period of the Crusades, some of the monuments were converted to fortresses including the Temple of Artemis. Small settlements continued in Jerash during the Ayyubid, Mameluk and Ottoman periods, and in 1878, Circassians settled in the town after immigrating from their homeland in the Caucausus. Excavation and restoration of Jerash has been almost continuous since the 1920s.

There are a large number of striking monuments located in Jerash: the Corinthium column, Hadrian's Arch, a circus/hippodrome, two immense temples (to Zeus and Artemis), the nearly unique oval Forum which is surrounded by a fine colonnade, a long colonnaded street or cardo, two theatres (the Large South Theatre and smaller North Theatre), two baths, a scatter of small temples and an almost complete circuit of city walls. Most of these monuments were built by donations of the city's wealthy citizens. From AD 350, a large Christian community lived in Jerash, and between AD 400-600, more than thirteen churches were built, many with superb mosaic floors. A cathedral was built in the fourth century A.D. An ancient synagogue with detailed mosaics, including the story of Noah, was found beneath a church.

Today the ruins of Jerash are thoroughly excavated and excellently preserved. This has led to a nickname, the "Asian Pompeii."

Modern Jerash

Jerash was a small village attached to town of Souf ( Center of al-Meradh area during the Ottoman Empire ). It was re-inhabited during the second half of the nineteenth century by the local people of souf and the surrounding villages. During that Jerash was a target for successive migrants waves include Syrians (Shwam), the Circassians and in at the second half of twenteeth century by the Palestinian Refugees.

Jerash has developed dramatically in the last 50 years, This is due to its strategic location in the heart of Jordan and because of the growing importance of the tourism industry to the city. Jerash is now the second-most popular tourist attraction in Jordan, closely behind the splendid ruins of Petra. The ruins have been carefully preserved and spared from encroachment, with the modern city sprawling to the west of ancient Jerash's city walls.

For the last 26 years, the city has hosted the famous Jerash Festival [1], a three week long summer programme of dance, musical, and theatrical performances. The festival is frequently attended by members of the royal family of Jordan, and is hailed as one of the largest cultural activities in the region. Some of the Jerash Festival events, especially the poetic conferences, are held in the capital city of Amman. However, the festivities have been suspended for the 2006 season due to regional instability.