Jerash. Gerasa. Pompeii of the East. The City of 1000 Columns.
As you can see, Jerash has many names. But to me, it’s simply “My #1 Place in Jordan.”
We visited Jerash on a day trip from Amman, opting to order an Uber from our accommodation to take us to the entrance. Our Uber cost just shy of 18 JOD and took about 55 minutes.
We walked in the entrance building, expecting a ticket desk to verify our Jordan Pass, instead we were greeted by the sounds of a market; traders selling their wares such as hats, scarves, sunglasses, guidebooks, postcards, water, etc. all a bit overwhelming to be confronted with so early in the morning!
Once again outside, we found ourselves standing before the Arch of Hadrian, ready to begin exploring the Roman Ruins of Jordan.
The Ruins
Stepping into Jerash feels like stepping into a time machine. Everything is ridiculously well preserved, hence the comparison to Pompeii, as these ruins are considered to be some of the best preserved outside of Italy.
Visiting a site such as this is amazing as you can more easily picture how it would have looked and worked back in the day.
After the Arch of Hadrian, we came upon the Hippodrome which is basically a huge sports arena which would have held athletic events and chariot races. We then found the formal city entrance in the form of the South Gate (as well as the ticket office where we had our Jordan Pass verified).
I could go on about all the different ruins but there is so much to cover with a site that is estimated to be about 80,000 square meters, I would be here forever! My recommendation is to take at least a few hours to explore and get a guide.
Of course, I have included a lot of pictures for you to have a look and to convince you to visit!
Guided Tours
You will find the guide booth just before the South Gate, opposite a restaurant. Here you can hire a guide to take you around the site and they will provide a history of Jerash as well as explain the significance of each ruin.
While you can (and probably should) consult a guide, we didn’t opt for that, instead I made Hayden suffer through me reading from my guidebook.
Our Experience
As you may be able to tell, we loved Jerash. It feels very quiet, some areas obviously experience congestion; the Temple of Artemis was busy when we went, and there were sometimes people queuing to take pictures with landmarks, but walking from A to B was quiet. The paths are wide, and there are usually at least two different ways to get from one spot to another. And I think that’s why we liked it, we felt as though we had more time to explore, rather than having to dive out of the way of other people constantly.
We went to the South Theatre, and there was a performance on with bagpipes which was fun to watch! We weren’t expecting to see anything of the sort!
After walking through most of Jerash, we came across a vendor selling jars of sand which were incredibly detailed, and he even demonstrated how he creates the images which you can see in the below video, it was pretty cool to see! We bought two jars!
He was also selling jewellery, and I wound up buying a bracelet of aventurine, known as Jordan’s gemstone, (although I’m 91% sure it’s blue goldstone, but who cares?) which is one of my favourite bracelets now.
We did have a rather barmy experience as, on our way out of Jerash, one of the guides stopped us and asked if we had a few minutes for a survey of our time in Jerash. Given that we didn’t have a taxi pre-booked, and didn’t have many plans, we said of course. The guide then led us slightly off the beaten track to some deserted portacabins which had us wondering what on earth we’d signed up for.
As it turned out, we got to meet a local artist, Raghad Adas, as part of a feature with Sky News Arabia. I had my face painted, and then myself and Hayden both got henna tattoos.
We were both interviewed and asked why we chose to go to Jordan, why we chose to visit Jerash, and if we had enjoyed our time thus far.
Final Thoughts
Jerash is well worth a visit; there is just so much to see, and it’s so much quieter than Petra, which I feel allowed me to absorb more of the history and enjoy my time there more.
Honestly, If you’re looking for a place where history, tranquillity, and beauty come together, Jerash is a must-visit. While it doesn’t have the fame of Petra, its quieter charm and fabulously preserved history make it a must-visit site in Jordan.
