Travel Guide Jérash

Near the modern city of Jerash are the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Gerasa. Located 50 km north of the capital on the road to Irbid, this historic site is a must-see on any trip to Jordan. The ruins are the best preserved of the Decapolis, the Roman confederation of ten cities of which Gerasa was a part, and are among the most beautiful Roman sites in the Near East. The ruins of what was once one of the richest Roman cities in the region were rediscovered by chance in 1806 by a German explorer, Ulrich Seltzen, buried under a thick blanket of sand. It took more than a century before serious excavations were undertaken during the British mandate.To the west of the ancient site, less than 250m away, on the right bank of the river, the new town is less interesting, except perhaps for its colourful local markets near the great mosque. It was built around the village of Souf, populated at one time by Ayyubids, Mamelukes and then Ottomans; during the second half of the 19th century by Syrians (Shwam), Circassians and finally by numerous Palestinian refugees who arrived in 1948 and 1967.