Monuments to visit North

After crossing the Oval Square and taking the Cardo maximus, the alley widens, marking the entrance to the Macellum. These are the ancient halls, one of the busiest places in the city. A triple door opens onto an octagonal courtyard with a fountain in the centre. The lion heads were used as trestles for the merchants' stalls. One of them bears the engraving "211" on one side, indicating the probable time of its construction. Many agree that the market was used until the arrival of the Umayyads in the 7th century.

This 21 m high arch was built in 129, in honour of the Roman Emperor Hadrian visiting the Decapolis. The plans called for the arch to become the main gateway to the city, but it was never extended to the south. The openings probably each supported a wooden gate. The arch was reconstructed in the 1980s by Jordanian archaeologists. Note the crown of acanthus leaves carved above the bases of the pillars. Hadrian's Arch is now the entry point to the site of Gerasa.

The southern theatre is located slightly above the temple of Zeus. It can be reached by a path that starts from the forum. This small amphitheatre was built around 90, during the reign of the emperor Domitian, thanks to donations from the rich inhabitants of the city. It could hold about 5,000 spectators, compared to 3,000 today. It has been completely restored and is still used today, notably during the Jerash festival. Its exceptional acoustics delight the tourists who can regularly listen to the bagpipers of the Jordanian army practicing.

This gate was the main entrance of the four entrances to the city, before the expansion project symbolized by Hadrian's Arch. It is also the official entrance to the ancient site of Jerash. It is said to have been built in the 2nd century and has the particularity of being pierced directly into the city wall. The decorations of this monument are composed of sculptures of acanthus leaves, characteristic of this time. It inspired the construction of Hadrian's Arch. Do not miss the oil press on the left after the gate.

The present castle, made of large blocks of black basalt, was built by the Ayyubids in the 13th century. The site had previously housed Roman garrisons (between 286 and 305) and then Byzantine garrisons, as evidenced by inscriptions here and there. Built on a quadrangular plan, this fortress controlled the Wadi Sirham valley on the trade route between Arabia and Syria, where caravans loaded with goods flowed. The fortress originally had three floors but was largely destroyed by the 1927 earthquake. The fort served as the headquarters of Sherif Hussein of Mecca and Lawrence of Arabia's troops during the Great Revolt. It was from Azraq that the Sheriff undertook his final assault on the city of Damascus, which marked the defeat of the Turks and the end of the First World War in the Middle East.

The tower through which one enters the fortress has several inscriptions in Latin, Greek and Arabic. The room above the southern entrance was that of T.E. Lawrence. The west gate still has its heavy basalt leaves (over 3 tons each) which are still in use. This type of gate is a legacy from Roman times and was frequently used throughout the Byzantine period. In the centre of the fort, the 13th-century mosque, facing Mecca, was built by the Ayyubids, the dynasty founded by Saladin, on the ruins of a Byzantine church. Its fine columns are noteworthy.

The nymphaeum is located along the Cardo maximus, just after the cathedral. This imposing fountain dates back to 191 and contributed to supply the city with water. From 125 onwards, the need for water in the city of Gerasa intensified and a system for supplying the city was set up, notably with the construction of an aqueduct linking the city to the surrounding springs. The water is distributed in the city by a system of fountains. The nymphaeum is a monumental fountain, richly ornamented, that can be found in Greek cities. There is one in Amman, designed on the same plan. The fountain is dedicated to the nymphs, the sacred representations of nature. Of rare beauty, they lived longer than men, without being immortal. The nymphaeum has two side aisles framing a semicircular apse on two levels and was topped by a half-dome vault (now collapsed). A stone basin is embedded in the apse. It was fed by lion's head mouths pierced in the niches of the lower level of the apse. If the fountain ever overflowed, the water flowed into the sewers. The lower level of the nymphaeum was covered with marble slabs, while the upper level had painted stucco. Although the most precious and colourful elements have disappeared, the niches and some of the Corinthian columns that enriched the façade can still be admired. Its slightly chiselled decoration is characteristic of the art of the Severans, described as decadent.

The castle is a superb example of medieval Islamic architecture. It is also a breathtaking view of the region and the Jordan Valley on a clear day. It was built during the Ayyubid dynasty in 1184 by Saladin's nephew and general, Izz al-Din Usama, on the ruins of a Byzantine monastery. In addition to his uncle's work of conquest, Usama embarked on a policy of building defensive fortresses to limit the expansion of the Crusaders. The castle was also part of a chain of dovecotes that allowed messages to be transmitted from Damascus to Cairo in less than a day. Thanks to the fortress's geographical location and the quality of its defence system, Osama's armies made it a reputedly impregnable base. The Crusaders broke their teeth in 1187.

Originally, the castle had four angular towers as well as loopholes in its thickest walls and was surrounded by a wide pit 15 metres deep. It was enlarged in 1215. In 1265, the Mongols seized the castle and destroyed it completely. The next owner, the Mamluk Sultan Al-Khader Baibars, undertook to rebuild it. The castle was used mainly as a fodder store and lost its strategic importance. The Ottomans revived it in the middle of the 17th century by installing a garrison there. In 1812, the Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burkhart stumbled upon the fort. After the damage inflicted by the earthquakes of 1837 and 1927, the castle was restored.

One of the most northern buildings of the site. It can be accessed from the northern Decumanus, which starts from the Tetrapyle of Julia Domna, or from the Temple of Artemis. Like many of the buildings at Jerash, the northern theatre was built over two periods. Numerous details show that it was originally a bouleuterion, a place of assembly for the city council (boulè). The amphitheatre consisted of 14 rows of seats, which were accessed through interior corridors. Inscriptions engraved on the seats indicate who could sit there. Thus, the seats in the lower rows were reserved for members of the boulè. Moving up the bays, the seats were assigned to representatives of the various tribes and families of the city. The larger the tribe, the more seats it had. The bouleuterion was probably built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117-138), but possibly during that of Trajan (98-117). It was later remodeled into an odeon, a theatre dedicated to concerts and poetry recitals. An inscription found in the architrave of the stage decoration states this very clearly. It is also known that the upper rows of seats were added around 165, bringing the total audience capacity to 1,600. During the enlargement, particular care was taken with the ornaments, some details of which can still be appreciated. The theatre was intended to reflect the city's capacity for influence through magnificent scenery. It was abandoned around the^5th century.

If the 'castles of the desert' have their origin in the Roman-Byzantine architecture, fortified or rural, as it existed in Syria before Islam, Qasr Kharranah is singled out by its specificities inherited from Sassanid Iran. It is thought to be one of the earliest known Umayyad monuments, built between 661 and 684, although an inscription above a doorway gives the date 710. Its imposing silhouette stands out in the middle of the desolate plain that surrounds it, quite different from the small Qasr that were built around Azraq. It is thought to have been more of a meeting place for the Bedouins, with no military purpose, as shown by its archways, which were only used for ventilation and ornamentation.

It is square and measures 35 m on each side. Its plan is typical of the Sassanids: a courtyard, surrounded on two levels by rooms arranged in living units. While Syrian castles are often larger, there are a number of buildings in Iraq that are close in scale to the Qasr Kharranah. Once through the entrance gate, one discovers, on either side of the courtyard, stables designed to accommodate camels. A small basin that was used to collect rainwater is located in the middle of the courtyard. Note the beautiful vaulted rooms at the top of the entrance gate and on the second floor, decorated with stucco mouldings and the saw-tooth pattern of the arches, which are found on many utilitarian potteries, both European and Islamic. The 'fleurs de lys' of some of the roundels in the rooms seem more unusual.

The impressive dimensions of the Qasr Mushatta are only found in the Qasr al Tuba, probably built by Al Walid II. This palace, which means "winter" in Arabic, is unfinished, probably because of the murder of Waldi II. Its plan is not organized around a central courtyard, but in three parts. The two unfinished side spaces were designed to house soldiers, servants or courtiers, while the central part housed the Caliph and his family. A mosque, identifiable by its mihrâb, leads to a large courtyard. Four housing units, known as bayt, which can be found in many Umayyad civil buildings, surround the throne room. Although Syrian in plan, they are also reminiscent of Sassanid Iran with their brick vaults, and may have served as the residence of the Caliph's four wives.

South facade.

Mushatta is also known for its rich decoration, especially its southern façade, a large part of which is displayed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. It consists of a band bordered by richly carved moldings and divided by a zigzag, perhaps deriving from Arab folk art motifs, with rosettes and vegetal elements, often animated by animal figures, real (felines, birds) or fantastic (griffins, centaurs...). Animals were already present in the ancient cylinder seals and then abundantly used in Christian art. Other motifs, such as birds, seem to be directly inspired by Coptic Egypt, where some artists came from. They rub shoulders with fantastic creatures: centaurs and sphinxes, which come from the classical culture that bathed the whole Mediterranean world before Islam, the Iranian "dragon-peacock" is linked, under the Sassanids, to astrology, to the Zoroastrian religion and to power. Originally a deity of Central Asia, this animal still often appears on medallions and talismans as a simple figure of prosperity. It was also often represented in the Byzantine world, and sometimes even on Romanesque works.

Some of the scrolls are decorated with beaded circles, reminiscent of Sassanian silks. Often copied by the Byzantines, these textiles were exported to Europe, where they were frequently used to wrap relics. The only human beings depicted are grape pickers as they are represented on some Roman mosaics or in the Qasr Amra. The vine with lions recalls the cult of Dionysus in antiquity and in Coptic Egypt. The pine cones of the rosettes would come from the figurative art of Sassanid Iran.

The village of Qasr Al-Hallabat is located not far from the highway, at the gateway to the eastern desert. On your way there, you will pass the ruins of an ancient bathhouse, the Hammam as-Sarah, dating from the Umayyad period. The small limestone building has been well restored and the pipes that carried the water to the baths remain largely intact.

Qasr al-Hallabat is an interesting site from a historical point of view, as it provides a better understanding of the transition from Roman antiquity to the Islamic Middle Ages and of the customs of the people of that time. The site was originally occupied by a Roman fortress, built during the reign of Caracalla around 200 A.D. It was intended to protect the Via Nova Trajana, the new Roman road that crossed the province of Arabia from north to south, linking Bostra (in Syria) to Aqaba, which was conquered in 106 A.D. The fort was part of the Limes of Arabia, and was used as a base for the construction of the new road. This fort was part of the Limes Arabicus, the eastern border of the Roman province of Arabia. In the 4th century, probably during the reign of Diocletian, the garrison was enlarged and transformed into a fort with four towers. This was badly damaged by the earthquake of 551 and abandoned. During the Byzantine period, the Ghassanids took over the site and turned it into a monastery. Then the arrival of the Arabs and the foundation of the Umayyad dynasty gave it a new function: a palace. The Umayyads retained the original plan of the building, but added a rectangular mosque to the exterior. Inside, the palace rooms were retained but the monastic outbuildings were transformed into functional warehouses. The decorations evoking the political or religious identity of their Christian predecessors were removed.

The castle visible today is little more than a pile of stones. However, it is possible (with good eyes) to admire some mosaics and frescoes from the period, inside what remains of the old palace rooms. The large mosaic on the floor of room 11 may be reminiscent of the Byzantine tradition, but it is also reminiscent of the lion and gazelles mosaic at Khirbat al-Majfar. The complex iconography of the mosaic, in which a man appears to be guiding an ostrich, may have had a significance that no archaeologist has been able to determine. In the larger of the two courtyards, there is a well coping with geometrically carved arches. The mosque behind the palace was completely restored between 2002 and 2013. Its delicate entrance porch is particularly noteworthy.

The hippodrome is immediately on the left, after passing under Hadrian's Arch. At 245 meters long and 52 meters wide, the racecourse is considered small compared to those of other Roman cities. The long and imposing building along the entrance road to the site of Jerash was used as bleachers. With its 17,000 seats, it could hold the entire population of the city at the height of its development. It was the place of entertainment par excellence, where the gladiatorial combats took place. Spectators came to watch all kinds of performances such as Greco-Roman chariot and horse races or athletic races. The Persian Sassanids even played polo there in the 7th century. It is still used to host performances during the Jerash Festival.

Researchers have not been able to pinpoint the date of construction of the racecourse, but they place it between the 1st and 3rd centuries. During the Byzantine period, the hippodrome was redesigned. A small amphitheatre was built on the north side to host sports jousts, while the southern part was abandoned. Potters settled there and the brick ovens can still be seen. Between the 6th and 8th centuries, the southern part was stripped of its stones, which were used to repair the city walls. The dyers set up their workshops there. Finally, the site was also used as a mass grave during a plague epidemic. The earthquake of 749 rendered the site unusable.

This staircase with terraces links the Cardo maximus to the temple of Artemis. It is a propylea, a vestibule leading to a sanctuary. The pilgrims crossed the river by a bridge that led directly to the impressive door with 3 openings. The 4 columns with acanthus leaf capitals were integrated into the colonnade of the Cardo maximus. The monumental staircase is 30 metres wide. One can imagine the strong impression that the ascent to the temple must have given. The propylaeum ended with a portico opening onto the sanctuary.

Your visit to Jordan can begin as soon as you leave the airport. The Qasr Al Qastal is located only 7 kilometers from the runways, on the road to Amman. It is one of the most important Umayyad complexes, built as early as the 8th century, and one of the first as well. Unlike many other desert castles, the Qar Al Qastal was not built on the ruins of a Roman fortress. In addition to the palace, it includes a mosque, a cemetery, baths, private dwellings, the remains of a 400-meter long dam and underground cisterns. Its decoration is also influenced by Roman and Sassanid arts. The complex was built by Caliph Yazid ibn 'Abd Al Malik (r. 720-724) and his son Al Walid (r. 743-744). The palace is very similar to other Umayyad palaces in its layout and the many buildings that surround it.

The qasr. This small palace of 68 sq m is built of limestone. Around a porticoed courtyard are groups of six bayt

(self-contained houses), each consisting of a large room framed by two smaller rooms. The walls were originally decorated with colored mosaics, still visible in places. Numerous niches carved in the rock, with plant decorations, have been discovered. They probably come from the audience room on the second floor, and are reminiscent of the decoration of the living room of the Umayyad palace in the citadel of Amman. The salon included a large room with a triple apse.

The mosque. To the north of the qasr

is a mosque that has been rebuilt and restored more than once since the mid-nineteenth century. Only the lower courses of the western and northern walls belong to the original mosque. At the northwestern end stands a minaret, the oldest preserved minaret of the Umayyad era. A shaped cornice supports Corinthian pilasters.

The Baths. About 400 meters north of the qasr is a structure discovered in 2000: the baths, which were part of a similar complex found at Qasr Amra and the hammam Al Sarakh. The mosaics are splendid, representing in particular a ferocious lion leaping on the back of a huge bull which tries to put it down, and a leopard devouring a gazelle. This type of decoration, inherited from the Roman period, can be found in the baths of Khirbat al-Mafjar in Jericho. The vitality of these animal scenes and the subtle gradations of color place these mosaic pavements in the rank of the most beautiful, and show great technical skill

Going towards the exit of the city by the Decumanus, we arrive in front of the nymphaeum dating from the 2nd century. It is exactly in front of the large western terrace. This sacred fountain supplied water to the whole city and was decorated with marble statues. Today it is very dilapidated, but it can be seen by its 15-metre long basin. Excavations in 1998 revealed a marble block on which was engraved the name of the nymphaeum's donor, a certain Aurelios Diophantes, who was the city's superintendent of police.

When one overlooks the ancient city from the village, it is the first building that one sees. Carved in black basalt and able to accommodate 3,000 people, it is not the most imposing of the theaters of the city, but it is the best preserved. The seats in the stands are not all the same: those near the stage and in the last rows have a lower back and are also more comfortable. These seats of honor were reserved for the local aristocracy or distinguished guests during performances and city councils.

Below the museum, you can see the remains of what was once an amphitheatre. It was located at the entrance to the city, along the Decumanus maximus. It takes some imagination to reconstruct the auditorium, its bays, its galleries, its stage that were leaning against the hill. The theatre was built towards the end of the 1st century BC and could accommodate up to 4,000 spectators. The theatre was probably destroyed by successive earthquakes in the region. Its stones were used to build the houses of the village.

At the crossroads of the Decumanus and the Cardo maxiumus, on the left, you will notice an area of ruins corresponding to a residential area. These are Roman administrative buildings that were rehabilitated into residential houses during the Umayyad period, from 600 onwards. Their influence in Gerasa was only minor and they built only one mosque. To the west of the city, the 'House of the Blue' was a splendid house from the Byzantine-Umayyad period, the visible remains of which date mainly from the Arab period.

Before passing through the entrance on the south side of the site, you can see the importance of the surrounding wall which served as a rampart against attacks from invaders. It was probably during the reign of the Roman Emperor Commodus (180-192) that the seven gates were ordered to be built. It seems that the wall was transformed and improved by his successors for military purposes.

Following the path that winds along the ruins, you can see a barracks on your left. It is believed to date from Roman times and has the distinction of having a six-storey tower (added in the Byzantine period), surrounded by housing on its sides. The tower has four rectangular openings at the top, each representing an archangel: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael and Uriel. The three-aisled chapel to the east of the barracks dates from the Byzantine period (6th century).

To the left, near the southwest gate, are the ruins of a residential area. The houses are built in all directions. Further on, on the left, you can see a temple, near a cistern. At the beginning of the excavations, archaeologists had identified this large building as being the heritage of the Nabataeans. Views have differed, and it appears to be a temple from the Roman occupation.

A few dozen meters to the north, one can distinguish a vast building with two wings: the praetorium, or Roman headquarters. Enlarged by the Byzantines, it has three entrance doors and, if you go through the one on the left, you will find a small atrium with four columns. The building also contained rooms and a terrace, which unfortunately are no longer visible.

A little further north, one of the most massive monuments in the whole city stands out: the cathedral, built in the 6th century and now in ruins. It was so named because it was much larger than the other churches in the city. Further on are the four arches of what was once a church. Beautiful Byzantine crosses are still visible.

As you go down towards the south-east, behind the cathedral, you will notice some houses, and then a fairly well-preserved reservoir, fed by an aqueduct that carried the rainwater collected in the wadi outside the city. On the other hand, not much remains of the two churches of Claudianos and Julianos (south of the reservoir). It is important to note that one of them had the oldest oratory in the city (345).

The northern gate, also known as the Arch of Trajan, marked the entrance to the city. It was built in 115 on the orders of the governor Claudius Severus in order to welcome travellers on the newly constructed Trajanic road from Gerasa to Pella. The arch is more than 20 metres high and is punctuated by vaulted niches framed by Corinthian half-columns. The street was paved and lined with columns, giving the place a certain majesty. Few visitors venture here, as this section of the Cardo maximus is never more than a dead end.