Ancient Jerash

Known in Roman times as Gerasa or Antioch on the Golden River, settlement here dates back to neolithic times. Inscriptions attribute the founding of the city to Alexander the Great.
Ancient Jerash is best known today as one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities anywhere. These pictures recognize the historic and archaeological importance of the site.
The 1st picture is the triumphal arch of Hadrian celebrating his visit in about 129 CE. It is located along the road about 400 meters before the city gate
The 2nd picture is taken from the Temple of Jupiter, looking down on the famous oval forum and the even older temple of Zeus. Normally the Romans just built on top of what they found, but it is thought that the Zeus temple was used for Jupiter worship until the new temple was ready. So they decided to preserve it. The 3rd picture is a better view of the famous forum from near the Temple of Jupiter.
The 4th picture looks back from the forum to the temple of Jupiter on the hill. The temple of Zeus is just visible to the right (the box like building with a stone arch). Also, the stone pavement is original from about 2,000 years ago.
The 5th picture is the Cardo Maximus, the main north south street. It is a straight, colonnaded street that runs like this for almost a kilometer. There would have been shops on each side behind the colonnades.
The last picture looks through a gate up to the Temple of Diana (or Artemis to the Greeks). Czytaj więcej