Operas and theaters to visit Jérash

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.

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.