Jerash


Today we drove north to visit the ruins of the Roman city of Jerash.  The entrance to the city features a triumphal arch built for the visit of Emperor Hadrian. So, it is also known as Hadrian's Arch.

Just beyond the arch is a hippodrome that could seat 15,000 people. Today it serves as a grazing area for goats.


In pre-COVID days the hippodrome featured chariot races for tourists. There was also a performance of bagpipe music by a Jordanian military band.  The bagpipe music is still performed in one of the two theaters in the city complex to demonstrate the acoustics of the site. 


If you look closely, you can see some of the seat numbers in the theater.


Next to the theater is a temple to Zeus. (Hadrian's Arch is off to the left of the temple.)  To give some additional perspective there is also a picture of Melissa by the entrance to the temple located at the far left front corner of the ruin. 



Below the temple is the city forum in the form of an oval plaza that is about a football field in diameter. 


The forum opens on to a colonnaded street that is about a mile long.  This "cardo maximus" still has the original flagstones complete with chariot wheel ruts and manholes to manage the drains built underneath. 


Further along the cardo is a two-story nymphaem with a fountain, a temple to Artemis with a monumental gateway, and another theater. 




We were fortunate to have wild flowers blooming everywhere in the ruin site for our visit. 











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