Jerash

Arriving in the modern town of Jerash, with its provincial streets and small market
gardens, you see little to suggest its illustrious past. But the moment you cross from
the new town into the ancient city, its boundary marked by the imposing Hadrian’s
Arch, it becomes apparent that this was once no ordinary backwater but a city of
great wealth and importance.
Located some 48 km (30 miles) north of the capital Amman, Jerash is known for the
ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden
River. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the “Pompeii of the Middle East”,
referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation (though Jerash was
never buried by a volcano).
Jerash became an urban centre during the 3rd century BC and a member of the
federation of Greek cities known as the Decapolis (“ten cities” in Greek). Jerash
prospered during the 1st century BC as a result of its position on the incense and
spice trade route from the Arabian Peninsula to Syria and the Mediterranean region.
Jerash was a favourite city of the Roman emporer, Hadrian, and reached its zenith in
AD 130, flourishing economically and socially. The city began to decline in the 3rd
century, later becoming a Christian city under the rule of the Byzantine empire. The
Muslims took over in AD 635, but the final blow to the city was dealt by Baldwin II of
Jerusalem in AD 1112 during the Crusades.
Modern Jerash sprawls to the east of the ruins, sharing the same city wall but little else.
Thankfully, the ruins have been carefully preserved and spared from encroachment.