Sunrise from our camp
And we are picked up at 8 and begin our 4 1/2 hour drive to Jerash. It is one of the top 3 ancient Roman ruins (I gotta believe outside of Rome itself) in the world. The other two are Ephesus and Pompeii. This was a last minute add on to the trip. Michel tells us we can adequately tour it in 2 hours but 3 would be best. At this point we are all on our very last leg. We commit to do Jerash, but beg off on the Amman tour that was scheduled to follow.
Jerash did not disappoint
Only 25% of Jerash has been excavated and restored. The entire complex is 3 1/2 square miles. There is still a lot of work going on.
You will notice my history lessons are diminishing. A combination of missing our Egyptologist and our exhaustion means we have missed a lot of details. I will do a little research to fill in.
So the earliest settlement in Jerash dates back to 331 BC. Much of the city was destroyed by an earthquake in 747 AD. Subsequent earthquakes did more damage and over the years the ruins were covered in sand. Excavation began in 1925 and continues thru today.
Amphitheater – where Queen Noor brought back performances and events. It hosts the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts every summer for three weeks.
Bagpipes in Jordan!
Temple of Artemis
But now that we have climbed up, we have to go down.
Column that was damaged by one of the many earthquakes.
Notice the modern city directly in the backdrop
We get to the gorgeous hotel (best one so far on the trip) where we check in at 4 and are being picked up at midnight to begin our flights home. This is the Fairmont in Amman. Wish we could stay.
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