The Oval Plaza of Jerash, with the Temple of Zeus in the background.
T plus 105 - Jerash, Jordan
Ok, so I decided to get off my bum and do something useful while waiting to apply for my visa to The Country Which Shall Not be Named. Now, Jerash was part of my original itinerary, but after spending too much time in Wadi Rum and Petra, I had to make a choice between this place and the Dead Sea. I picked the latter. In retrospect it was the wrong choice - read more about how I was Cooked Alive in the Dead Sea in my earlier post.
I should have just come straight to Jerash. What a revelation this place turned out to be! To be honest, I really wanted a break from the parade of ancient ruins after dragging myself through Egypt and a bit of an overdose in Petra. But this place is something else. In my opinion it's every bit as awesome as Petra, and that's saying something. If you had limited time in Jordan and could only see two places, Jerash and Petra would be my picks. Wadi Rum would be a close third and Amman a distant fourth.
Most of the structures in Jerash are about 1,800-1,900 years old, and they are unbelievably well-preserved. The entire site was built in stages with the major construction phases during the reigns of Roman Emperors Trajan and Hadrian in the first half of the first century AD. Before that, Alexander the Great had established the city in the fourth century BC as a settlement for retired Macedonian soldiers - "Jerash" comes from its original Greek name "Gerasa" (Gerasmenos means elderly person).
The city has had its ups and downs - after achieving its peak in the third century, it was badly affected by the rise of the Sassanian (second Persian) Empire in modern-day Iraq in the sixth century which saw trade routes shift away from the Jerash and its vicinity. The city enjoyed a brief revival during the rise of the Arab caliphates but a massive earthquake in 749 AD wiped it out almost entirely. Subsequent earthquakes buried the city and it remained lost until the early 19th Century when it was re-discovered by a German explorer.
Jerash boasts some pretty impressive structures. Aside from temples dedicated to Zeus and Artemis, it has a 250m x 50m arena with seating capacity for 17,000, called the Hippodrome, primarily used by the Romans for chariot racing - think Ben Hur. It was then converted into a polo ground by the invading Persians. One of the world's largest Roman arches sits in Jerash, an extravagance constructed in Emperor Hadrian's name, on the occasion of his visit in 129 AD. The city has not one, but two full-sized theatres. And perhaps most splendid of all is the giant Oval Plaza which is a 90m x 80m "square" encircled by a gracefully curving series of 56 Ionic columns.
The entire site is over 1km long and half as wide. It takes some determination to see it all in one afternoon, but you will be rewarded by the setting sun bathing its structures in the warmest of glows. And the intricate tapestry of light and shadows cast by soaring columns is quite something. See below for some photos from my walkabouts:
Ok, so I decided to get off my bum and do something useful while waiting to apply for my visa to The Country Which Shall Not be Named. Now, Jerash was part of my original itinerary, but after spending too much time in Wadi Rum and Petra, I had to make a choice between this place and the Dead Sea. I picked the latter. In retrospect it was the wrong choice - read more about how I was Cooked Alive in the Dead Sea in my earlier post.
I should have just come straight to Jerash. What a revelation this place turned out to be! To be honest, I really wanted a break from the parade of ancient ruins after dragging myself through Egypt and a bit of an overdose in Petra. But this place is something else. In my opinion it's every bit as awesome as Petra, and that's saying something. If you had limited time in Jordan and could only see two places, Jerash and Petra would be my picks. Wadi Rum would be a close third and Amman a distant fourth.
Most of the structures in Jerash are about 1,800-1,900 years old, and they are unbelievably well-preserved. The entire site was built in stages with the major construction phases during the reigns of Roman Emperors Trajan and Hadrian in the first half of the first century AD. Before that, Alexander the Great had established the city in the fourth century BC as a settlement for retired Macedonian soldiers - "Jerash" comes from its original Greek name "Gerasa" (Gerasmenos means elderly person).
The city has had its ups and downs - after achieving its peak in the third century, it was badly affected by the rise of the Sassanian (second Persian) Empire in modern-day Iraq in the sixth century which saw trade routes shift away from the Jerash and its vicinity. The city enjoyed a brief revival during the rise of the Arab caliphates but a massive earthquake in 749 AD wiped it out almost entirely. Subsequent earthquakes buried the city and it remained lost until the early 19th Century when it was re-discovered by a German explorer.
Jerash boasts some pretty impressive structures. Aside from temples dedicated to Zeus and Artemis, it has a 250m x 50m arena with seating capacity for 17,000, called the Hippodrome, primarily used by the Romans for chariot racing - think Ben Hur. It was then converted into a polo ground by the invading Persians. One of the world's largest Roman arches sits in Jerash, an extravagance constructed in Emperor Hadrian's name, on the occasion of his visit in 129 AD. The city has not one, but two full-sized theatres. And perhaps most splendid of all is the giant Oval Plaza which is a 90m x 80m "square" encircled by a gracefully curving series of 56 Ionic columns.
The entire site is over 1km long and half as wide. It takes some determination to see it all in one afternoon, but you will be rewarded by the setting sun bathing its structures in the warmest of glows. And the intricate tapestry of light and shadows cast by soaring columns is quite something. See below for some photos from my walkabouts:
As you can probably tell, I really like the Oval Plaza. I present three alternative views. The middle and bottom pic are shot from the same position. 20mm vs 10mm focal length.
You can decide which you prefer better.
You can decide which you prefer better.
Birds-eye view of about half of the entire complex from the Temple of Zeus.
See how far away the distant structures seem? Well, they are.
You can really see the Oval from here. Apparently it was built as an elegant solution to join two perpendicular streets which didn't meet where they were supposed to. So an enlarged "junction" was created.
See how far away the distant structures seem? Well, they are.
You can really see the Oval from here. Apparently it was built as an elegant solution to join two perpendicular streets which didn't meet where they were supposed to. So an enlarged "junction" was created.
The Temple of Zeus from street level. Some of it has been restored, but most of it still lies scattered around in vaguely recognisable heaps of rubble.
The 5,000 seat South Theatre. Like an Old Trafford of ancient times.
The Colonnaded Street which leads you from the Temple of Zeus (top pic) to the City Centre.
The Temple of Artemis, who was patron god of Jerash. See how wonderfully intricate the carvings are on the top of the columns?
There's no great angle for the Hippodrome, because most of it is gone. This is just one section of the stalls which surround the giant arena.
The very large and very imposing Hadrian's Gate on the south end of the site.
A tree. It's nice.
