Monuments to visit Jérash

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As you enter the city, just past the southern gate, you can see massive walls on the right, probably parts of a wall built in the early 4th century by the Emperor Diocletian to extend the original rampart. The wall, which surrounded part of the city, was 4.5 km long, but had openings in several places, notably in the extension of the Decumanus or opposite the propylaeum of the Temple of Artemis. The present ruins date mostly from the Byzantine period in the 6th century.

These two aediculae formed by four arches supported by four pillars mark the crossroads of the Cardo with the Decumanus (perpendicular streets oriented east-west). Built in the 2nd century, the southern tetrapyle seems to have been surmounted by a pyramid and a statue, but only the bases remain. This crossing was redesigned at the end of the 3rd century to form a circular square lined with shops. The northern one was dedicated to Julia Domna, the Syrian wife of Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211). It consisted of four arches topped by a domed roof.

This bridge connected the centre of the city of Gerasa to the eastern baths, located behind the mosque. The bridge was built on the axis of the South Decumanus (the artery that ran through the city from east to west), 74 metres long, and spanned the Chrysorhoas River, now renamed Wadi Jerash. The bridge that can be admired today is a reconstruction of the old one, although some parts of the original remain, including some beautiful arches. Part of the original bridge is covered by the construction of the new city.