Jerash

Jerash

The ancient city of Jerash was one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East in antiquity. After Petra, this city ranks as Jordan's most popular tourist destination. The city is located on a plain and is surrounded by hilly, forested areas and fertile basins. With a history dating back more than 6,500 years, it is considered one of the largest and best-preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside of Italy. The village was called Garshu by the earliest known inhabitants of the area. The name was then changed to Gerasa and later Jerash. During the 4th century BC, under the rule of Alexander the Great, Jerash began to grow from a small village into a thriving city. Conquered by General Pompey in 63 BC, it became one of the great Roman cities of the Decapolis under Roman rule. In its heyday, the population of Jerash may have been as high as 20,000. However, during the 3rd century the town fell into decay. The Persians and then the Muslims conquered it, and the town was damaged by seismic activity. Soon after that it was abandoned. Buried under the sand for centuries, the ancient city of Jerash remained hidden. It was discovered in the year 1806 by a German traveler, Ulrich Jasper Seezten, who recognized a portion of the ruins. Excavations began in 1925 and continue to this day. Underneath its Graeco-Roman veneer, Jerash retains a subtle blend of East and West. Its architecture, religion and languages testify to an intermingling and coexistence of two powerful cultures - Greco-Roman Mediterranean and ancient Arabic Eastern traditions.