Jerash — ancient Gerasa — is one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere, about 50 km north of Amman, under an hour's drive. Colonnaded streets, temples and a vast oval forum have stood for nearly two thousand years, and unlike many ruins you can walk right through the living city. Give it three to four hours.
The essentials
- From Amman
- ~50 km, under 1 hour
- Era
- Greco-Roman — peak 1st–3rd century AD
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours to walk the site
- Don't miss
- Hadrian's Arch, the Oval Forum, the Cardo
What to see
Enter under Hadrian's Arch (built for the emperor's visit in 129 AD), then reach the great Oval Forum ringed by columns — Jerash's signature sight. The colonnaded Cardo Maximus runs the length of the city past the Nymphaeum and the Temple of Artemis, and the South Theatre still seats a couple of thousand — clap in its centre and the acoustics do the rest.
How it fits with Petra
Jerash sits north of Amman, the opposite direction from Petra, so it's usually added at the start or end of a longer trip rather than on a straight Petra run. Our 3-day tour adds Jerash to Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea; see all tours for the options.
