Pompeii of the Middle East

Jerash (or Gerasa) is located in the north of Jordan and was inhabited as early as the 8th century BC. The ruins of the ancient city are among the best-preserved examples of Greco-Roman architecture, earning Jerash the nickname 'the Pompeii of the Middle East'. Like Amman, Jerash was one of the Decapolis, ten Hellenistic cities that sought proximity to Rome and enjoyed great autonomy. The exact date of its foundation is disputed among historians. According to some inscriptions, it was founded in 331 BC as a Macedonian settlement before Alexander the Great moved towards Mesopotamia. Other sources claim that the city was founded by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV (175-164 BC) under the name ‘Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas’. 

Roman era

At the beginning of the 1st century BC, the area was fought over between the Nabataeans and the Hasmoneans, and by the time of the Roman conquest under Pompey the Great in 63 BC, Jerash was part of the Kingdom of Judaea. The city's heyday began in the 1^st century AD during the ‘Roman Peace’ (Pax Romana). Emperor Trajan founded the province of Arabia Petraea in 106 AD and had a large road network built. Among the most important structures in Jerash are the Oval Forum and the Arch of Hadrian, built after the visit of Emperor Hadrian in 130 AD. The city is also home to the remains of several theaters, temples, colonnades and a hippodrome.

Back to Jordan