Day 7 - Jerash and The Dead Sea

It’s Hot !

Hidden for hundreds of years under the sands of Jordan, Jerash ruins are all that remains of the great ancient city that saw Alexander the Great, the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, and the mathematician Nichomachas.
Most of the ancient city of “Gerasa”was destroyed in an earthquake in 749 AD.
The ruins were re-discovered in 1806 and are one of the best preserved Roman cities in the Middle East for Roman architecture, preserved mosaics and carvings.

 Jerash was the trading centre for the Romans, with goods coming in and out of their empire in Europe to the northwest. Petra operated as the trading centre for goods coming from Arabia, Asia and Africa.
I had no idea of the scale before I arrived and was stunned.
You come in through a large Hadrian arch and then the site stretches out in front of you , it’s temples and other buildings on hills in the distance.
Next to the entrance is a massive hippodrome .
Then there’s another grand entrance before the grand Plaza.
There are two theatres, one at the southern end and one at the northern end of the city -as it was so large it needed more than one theatre!!!!
There’s a very impressive Oval Plaza with the colonnades, that’s 90 metres by 80 metres and dominates one side of the city.
The colonnades continue past even grander temples and the round Agora - it’s unique ! When you circle back you get a great view of theatres and the grand Plaza. So many buildings, huge fallen pillars and so many awaiting renovation !


Then we take a drive to the lowest place on Earth - The Dead Sea , whIch is actually a lake, or has been since its outlet to the Sea of Galilee evaporated around 18,000 years ago. The pool sits nearly at 1400 feet below sea level . Its famously salty water - 10 times saltier than the Atlantic Ocean - is due to the huge quantities of minerals that have been deposited and trapped in the lake bed over millennia.
Demand for water from the Jordan River, the main tributary of the Dead Sea, has increased in the last few decades, with water being siphoned off for drinking, irrigation, and industrial activity. This diversion has caused the Dead Sea to shrink rapidly, losing around three feet a year.
So we take the plunge or rather the Float!! The water is so warm I cannot really tell I am in it ! We float taking care to avoid getting and salty water in the eyes etc ! It’s a pretty weird experience .
Some of the party take to the medicinal ? mud ! Very black and ? good for the skin !
We relax in the swimming pool before a drive back to Amman and a last night out on the town with the gang ! It’s been fun !
Tomorrow is our last day and we are solo !Read more