You might expect that the far north of Jordan, with its exceptional Roman ruins, biblical associations, lively cities and complex terrain, would feature as a standard part of any visitor’s trip to the country. This, however, is not the case and the region receives relatively few visitors compared with Petra and the South.
Although many of the sites can be covered in a day trip from Amman, this ancient and populous region, dotted with olive groves and pine forests and liberally strewn with the ruins of Rome’s great Decapolis cities, repays a longer visit. The availability of public transport and friendly accommodation facilitate this.
JERASH (pop 123,190)
These beautifully preserved Roman ruins, located 51km north of Amman, are deservedly one of Jordan’s major attractions. Excavations have been ongoing for 85 years but it is estimated that 90% of the city is still unexcavated. In its heyday the ancient city, known in Roman times as Gerasa, had a population of around 15,000.
Allow at least three hours to do Jerash justice.
History. Although inhabited from Neolithic times, and settled as a town during the reign of Alexander the Great (333 BC), Jerash was largely a Roman creation. Rome annexed the Nabataeon Kingdom in south Jordan in 106 BC.
In the wake of Roman general Pompey’s conquest of the region in 64 BC, Gerasa (as Jerash was then known) became part of the Roman province of Syria and, soon after, a city of the Decapolis. The city reached its peak at the beginning of the 3rd century AD, when it was bestowed with the rank of Colony, after which time it went into a slow decline as trade routes shifted.
By the middle of the 5th century AD, Byzantine Christianity was the region’s major religion and the construction of churches proceeded at a startling rate. With the Sassanian invasion from Persia in 614, the Muslim conquest in 636 and a devastating earthquake in 749, Jerash’s heyday passed and its population shrank to about a quarter of its former size. It was basically abandoned until the 1880s.
Roman Ruins. The ruins at Jerash cover a huge area. The whole route, walking at a leisurely pace and allowing time for sitting on a fallen column and enjoying the spectacular views, takes a minimum of three to four hours.
At the extreme south of the site is the striking Hadrian’s Arch built in AD 129 to honour Emperor Hadrian who spent the winter here. Behind the arch is the hippodrome (220-749), the smallest and best preserved in the Roman Empire. It hosted chariot races watched by up to 17,000 spectators. In the 8th century, the hippodrome served as a mass burial site when the plague struck. The Church of Mariano is just across from the hippodrome; it has a wonderful quite intact mosaic floor.
The South Gate and the 3.4km long city wall were built in AD 130 after the city was looted and burned. The terrace below the Temple of Zeus shows the complete succession from early Bronze Age to late Roman times – successive churches dating from 27 AD, 70, 162 and a 5th century Byzantine church are represented archaeologically. There are also ruins of souks on both sides of the road here too. The Oval Plaza is unusual because of its shape and huge size (90m long and 80m at its widest point). Sixty-two Ionic columns surround the paved limestone plaza, linking the cardo with the Temple of Zeus.
The elegant remains of the Temple of Zeus supported by 38 columns was built around AD 162. It is a worthwhile climb if just for the view. Next door, the South Theatre was the most elegant and largest of the three theatres in Jarash. Built in 96 AD with 30 rows and a capacity of 5000 spectators, the acoustics are still wonderful as demonstrated by the two Arabs playing the drums and bagpipes.
Between the Oval Plaza and the North Gate is the 800m-long cardo, the city’s main thoroughfare. It still has 253 columns flanking it. It is paved with the original stones laid diagonally for easier driving by the thousands of chariots that once jostled along its length. Along the street is the Nymphaeum (190-749), the main fountain of the city and the Propylaeum or grand approach, with a 30m wide staircase leading to the Temple of Artemis (135-749). Bisecting the cardo are the North and South Decumanui, two east-west streets, both lined with more columns and with their original paving stones intact (manhole covers still have some of their original metal rings for exposing the sewer that ran under all the streets). At the intersections with the cardo are the North Tetrapylon (a massive domed arch) and the South Tetrapylon (only the bases of the original pink granite columns imported from Aswan in Egypt remain).
Walking up the North Tetrapylon leads to the North Theatre (165-749), a gorgeous 21-row theatre restored to its former glory.
Next is the Temple of Artemis – Artemis was the patron goddess of the city – but the temple was never finished and subsequently dismantled to provide masonry for new churches. Twelve great columns remain.
23 Byzantine Churches were built in Jarash and several have been excavated many with great mosaic floors: the Cathedral (450-749), Church of Propylaea (565-749), Church of Bishop Isaiah (558-749), the triple Churches of St George, St Cosmos and Damiaes (twin brothers, both physicians martyred for providing free of charge medical care) and Church of St John the Baptist (largely intact mosaics), Church of Saints Peter and Paul and the Mortuary Church.
The small museum contains a good collection of artifacts from the site.
I took a share taxi (.7JD) to the north bus station, then a bus 51km to Jarash (.7JD). Jarash has no cheap accommodation so I continued with my big pack up to Ajloun in another share taxi. With no English and a misunderstanding, the driver demanded 2 more JD to get from Ajloun town center up to the castle. Neither the ticket office nor police office would store my pack while I toured the castle so I got some leg exercise climbing up to the viewpoint with spectacular views. Rather than going back to Jarash, I bargained a 5JD ride directly to Irbid.
AJLOUN (pop 94,458)
Ajloun is a popular and easy day trip from Amman, and can be easily combined with a trip to Jerash.
Ajloun Castle. 3kms west of town, the castle sits on a high hill 1100m above sea level. It is a fine example of Islamic military architecture. Built in AD 1184–88 by the Arabs as protection against the Crusaders, it was enlarged several times with seven towers and a surrounding dry moat that dropped to more than 15m deep. It has many high-ceilinged, large rooms with barrel and cross vault roofs.
The castle commands fine views of Ajloun and the Jordan Valley and was one in a chain of beacons and pigeon posts that allowed messages to be transmitted from Damascus to Cairo in a single day.
Largely destroyed by Mongol invaders in 1260, it was almost immediately rebuilt by the Mamluks and used in the 17th century by the Ottomans. Ajloun Castle was ‘rediscovered’ by the well-travelled JL Burckhardt, who also stumbled across Petra. Earthquakes in 1837 and 1927 badly damaged the castle, though slow and steady restoration is continuing.
Ajloun Forest Reserve. Located in the Ajloun Highlands, this small (13 sq km) but vitally important nature reserve (year-round) was established in 1988 to protect forests of oak, carob, pistachio and strawberry trees (look for the peeling, bright orange bark) and provide sanctuary for the endangered roe deer. To reach the reserve, charter a taxi for the 9km from Ajloun.
Several marked trails, some self-guided, weave through the hilly landscape of wooded valleys. Particularly worthwhile is the Soap Trail, a guided trail (7km, four hours, year round) that combines panoramic viewpoints with visits to a soap workshop. I didn’t go here.
IRBID (pop 751,634)
Jordan’s second largest city is a university town, and one of its more lively and progressive. Irbid is also a good base for exploring the historic sites of Umm Qais, Pella and even Jerash. The town comes alive at night, especially in the energetic area around the university, where the streets are lined with restaurants and Internet cafes.
Dar As Saraya Museum. Located in a stunning old villa of basaltic rock, this new museum is a real gem. Built in 1886 by the Ottomans, the building is typical of the caravanserai established along the Syrian pilgrimage route, with rooms arranged around a paved internal courtyard. A delightful collection of local artifacts illustrates Irbid’s long history.
This museum is downtown, far from where I was staying and just too difficult to work out the logistics of getting there with no Arabic (ie. Too many taxis).
Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology. This highly recommended museum features exhibits from all eras of Jordanian history arranged in chronological order.
Pella is in the Jordan Valley in northwestern Jordan, 27.4 km south of the Sea of Galilee, 130 km north of Amman, and half an hour by car from Irbid. With a history extending from Stone Age to medieval Islamic times, Pella expanded to its largest state in Roman times, one of ten Decapolis cities. There is evidence of 6000 years of continuous settlement. Today, the city’s sizable collection of ruins, a few kilometres from the modern Arab village of Taqabat Fahl are excavated by archeologists, and attract thousands of tourists annually. Many of the ruins are spread out and in need of excavation, so some walking and a bit of imagination are required to get the most from the site. The superb setting just above the Jordan Valley can be reward enough, particularly when the land blooms in spring.
Umm el-Jimal is a village in Northern Jordan approximately 17 kms east of Mafraq, notable for the substantial ruins of a Byzantine and early Islamic town which are clearly visible above the ground, as well as an older Roman village. Tentative WHS.
I took a taxi from Aljoun to Irbid by a direct route that did not go back to Jerash. At 5JD it was a good deal. But the driver couldn’t find the cheap hotel I wanted (Al-Ameen al-Kabeer on Al Jaish St but it was uncertain if it was even open) and we had an hour drive around the big city. Unwilling to ask directions in a city he didn’t know, we drove everywhere around Irbid and he ended up simply dropping me off at a hotel, the Aphamia (20JD including breakfast). It was 3 blocks from the north bus station and close to two malls, a McDonalds and of all things, a Safeway supermarket, the first supermarket I have seen in Jordan. I took the opportunity to buy some cereal.
One meal that is easy to prepare for is breakfast: cereal, walnuts, banana and milk. I also always carry instant coffee; no matter how much you might dislike Nescafe, it is the only way to satisfy your coffee addiction.
Near the hotel was a furniture store, with living room sets so ugly, I had to go in and look around. Imagine huge sofas and chairs with gaudy fabric and wild carved wood/plastic embellishments. The salesman took me upstairs to see the “normal “ stuff and there was some that looked ok. The over-the-top furniture reminded me of Middle East jewelry – very gaudy, full of filigree and many little stones.
Most Jordanian women wear hajib and some full abuelah with veils. Long heavy coats and spike heels are common. These don’t do much for their appearance, but Muslim women are very distant at best with no eye contact. Makeup is unbelievably heavy: large dark eyebrows, huge mascara, big eyelashes, heavy foundation and bright lipstick – not very cute. Take off the headscarf and makeup, I think most would be real “babes”. If approached for directions, most don’t even acknowledge your existence.
It is a rare Jordanian man who doesn’t smoke. Here you can smoke anywhere including restaurants, taxis and buses. Most hotels don’t let you smoke in the lobbies.
UMM QAIS (Gadara; pop >5000)
Tucked in the far northwest corner of Jordan, and about 25km from Irbid, are the ruins of Umm Qais, site of both the ancient Roman city of Gadara and an Ottoman-era village. The hilltop site offers spectacular views over the Golan Heights in Syria, and into Israel, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) to the north, and the Jordan Valley to the south. The terrain here is mountainous with deep valleys and rocky terrain with sparse olive and pine trees.
Roman Ruins (5 JD – I have now more than paid off the cost of my Jordan Pass even though I did not use the 40 JD visa portion). Entering the site from the south, the first structure of interest is the well-restored and brooding West Theatre. Constructed from black basalt, it once seated about 3000 people. This is one of two such theatres – the North Theatre is overgrown and missing the original black basalt rocks, which were recycled by villagers in other constructions. Nearby is a colonnaded courtyard and the remains of a 6th-century Byzantine church.
Beyond this is the decumanus maximus, Gadara’s main road running 1.5kms on an east-west axis. 6.5m wide, it is all basaltic rectangles set on diagonals, heavily rutted from chariot wheels. The road was colonnaded but only about 13 complete columns remain. The rest are lying all over the place. A set of overgrown baths are to the west. Further along is a basilica (360 AD) built atop a Roman mausoleum. This is the location of the “miracle of Gadara” described in the New Testament in Matthew 8:28: “On his way from Lake Genezareth in Gadarone country, Jesus met two possessed men who dwelled in the tombs on the outskirts of the city. Jesus healed them of their affliction by driving out their devils into a herd of swine, which thereupon plunged into the water.”
Beit Russan. A former residence of an Ottoman governor and now a museum, it is set around an elegant and tranquil courtyard. The main mosaic on display (dating from the 4th century and found in one of the tombs) contains the names of early Christian notables and is a highlight, as is the headless, white marble statue of the Hellenic goddess Tyche, which was found sitting in the front row of the west theatre.
Surrounding the museum are the ruins of the Ottoman village dating from the 18th and 19th centuries and also known as the acropolis. I did not go to this museum.
Abila City (Modern Qweilbeh). Located about 25km.east of the Sea of Galilee on the Trans Jordanian Plateau at 440m.above sea level. With a perennial spring, guarded by wadis, good agricultural land and on well traveled trade routes connecting with other Decapolis cities: Damascus,Philadelphia (Amman), Scythopolis (Beisan), Gadara Um Qeis), Hippos, Pella, Canatha,etc. The site was inhabited from Neolithic times through Middle Bronze /Late Bronze, Iron Age and Hellinistic, Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad periods.
I took a bus near my hotel to another bus station and then a bus all the way to the outside of the ruins. On the way back, I hitchhiked into town and the bus back to Irbid was waiting. Public transportation is always slower and less convenient but a fraction of the cost.
So by going completely local, I traveled from my hotel to Umm Qais and back, saw the ruins, had lunch and took the bus all the way to Amman for less than the price of quarter pounder with cheese, large fries and large drink at McDonalds (4.5JD): I walked to and from my hotel to the bus depot 3 times, about 8 blocks total, 2 service buses to another bus station in Irbid – .2JDx2, a bus return to Umm Qais – .7JDx2, lunch, a chicken shwerma – 1.25JD and the bus to Amman – 1.25JD = 4.3JD total. The service taxi (.4JD) from the north bus station to Shabsogh service taxi station downtown put me over the top. The entrance to the ruins (5JD) was free with my Jordan Pass. In Jordan, transportation is some of the cheapest in the world – that standard is about 1US$ per hour of transport.
A fellow working at the front desk of Arab Towers had lived in the US and spoke very good English. The official population of Jordan is 5 million but is more like 10 million with all the Syrian refugees. Many of them live in Amman working in all the restaurants and shops. They have replaced Egyptians as the source of cheap labour as they are cleaner, better educated and better workers. Since Egypt raised the price of gas to Jordan, the country has made it much more difficult for Egyptians to come to Jordan to work.
After one night back in Arab Towers, I traveled on to Karak.