Although sometimes overshadowed by Petra, the ancient city of Jerash is s highly rewarding excursion for the visitor to Jordan, and an important site in archaeological terms, with a remarkable unbroken chain of human occupation. At this well-watered site in the hills of Gilead, you will find remains from Neolithic times, as well as Greek, Byzantine, Omayyad, and others. Jerash’s golden age, however , arrived with Roman rule. Today it is acknowledged as one of the best preserved examples in the world of a Roman provincial city.nasr

                       Colonnaded Street

Hadrian's Arch

Jerash is considered the best preserved and most complete city of the Decapolis, a confederation of ten Roman cities dating from the 1st Century B.C. Nestled in a green and well-watered valley in the biblical land of Gilead, the remains of the ancient city have long attracted tourists, scholars, and students from all over the world.

Today’s visitors may wander among the original temples, theaters, plazas, baths and colonaded streets, all enclosed within the remaining city walls. Within these wall shave been found the remains of settlements dating from the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad, and Abbasid periods, indicating human occupation at this location for more than 2500 years. Nightly sound and light shows through the summer months, and the annual Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts held each July, bring the ancient community to life for today’s visitor.

The South Theater