The university of Jordan
The Roman city in orient
civilization
JERASH A TIMELESS PLACE
Juliana alzaben | English for tourism
One of the most important reasons for having a successful tourism in
Jordan is colonization these unfortunate events in the past became our
fortune cookie now a days, because they left behind them spectacular
quaint cities and glorious cultures that made rock speaks history as an
evidence for mighty empires and stupendous monuments and Jerash
happened to be one of the greatest cities of the Roman empire which is
located in northern of Jordan, 45 km away from the capital city
Amman this historical city that have a cold weather in winter and a
mild one during summer were also rules by the Greeks and that was
before the Roman empire that established its greatest art piece of all
time and called it Gerasa )‫ (جراسا‬and if you got the chance to visit this
unspoiled city you’ll notice that the remaining Roman ruins are far
more clear than the Greek ones, because the Romans built their city
and their history above the destroyed buildings that the Greeks have
built before them.
This touristy attraction were one of the 10 Decapolis cities that the
Roman emperor Pompey established to make them as a cultural and an
economical ally for the empire and now after thousands of years you
can go and enjoy the performances of acted war scenes in the actual
locations of the battles where the Roman empire have fought through
to reach for its victory, you can also see a live chariot racing in front of
you acted by some Jordanian actors using real Roman tools, shields
and customs so you can enjoy this historical experience to the fully,
during the period of Roman occupation the city flourished in economy
and trading for its strategic location on the main caravan route (trade
route between Aqaba ,Basra and Damascus) which led to the
construction of great long roads that stands now as an evidence for the
heyday of the great Roman empire. Most tourists in Jordan stay in
hotels in Amman where they can find different types of them and
because it’s the most contemporary city in Jordan so they can go to
Jerash using:
PAGE 1
1- Their personal cars if they have or they can rent a one.
2- By buses (which while be cheaper).
3- They can call a taxi using Karim or uber applications which will
be much easier for them and it will probably cost 14 JD as
maximum.
During this 45 km long trip you will probably need a brief break and
there are several rest stops along the way where you can eat a snack
and reenergize yourself and that’s just until you get to your destination
where you can enjoy our traditional dishes in the restaurants of Jerash.
These are some high rated popular restaurants in Jerash:
1- Om Khalil restaurant (4 star rated).
2- Green valley (4 star rated).
3- Artemis restaurant (5 star rated).
And if your budget is limited and you can’t go to these types of
restaurants, I recommend these restaurants down below:
1- Jordan house restaurant (2.5 star).
2- Panorama Jerash (3 star).
PAGE 2
Here are the most important ruins of all time in the city of a
thousand column:
1- The colonnaded street.
2- The two famous temples:
A- Temple of Zeus the
rain god or god of
the sky according to
roman beliefs.
PAGE 3
B- Temple of Artemis god of
the sea).
3- The north Roman Theater with can accommodate 3000
people.
4- Hadrian’s Arch which was built to commemorate the visit of
Hadrian’s emperor to Jerash.
5- The cathedral atrium which was a church left as a massive
monumental structure of the 2nd century, the romans spread
Christianity in Jordan due to their colonization.
6- The nymphaeum of Jerash is a fountain that was dedicated to
nymphs (houri ‫ )حورية‬and there is another nymphaeum in the
down town in Amman that also dates back to the Roman era
which indicates the importance of nymphs in the Roman
culture.
PAGE 4
The last thing that I must pay attention to in this splendid
city is the annual festival of Jerash which is held in July every
year and to the modern way of presenting history, music,
arts, dances and plays in a charming festival that makes the
audience grateful to this wonderful experience in which they
view folklore dances, art acts, singers from different
nationalities, ballet dances and many more of this dazzling
and up to date artistic celebration.
Section 2: (outlines)
A- Jerash a history well preserved.
1- The history of jerash
2- The Roman roll in making jerash a historical and important place.
3- The weather and the well-acted war scenes.
B- Types of transportations to get to jerash.
C- Top rated restaurants in the Roman city.
D- The remaining ruins in the everlasting structure.
E- Jerash festival (arts & more).
Section 3: (important vocabulary)











Timeless
Spectacular
Glorious
Mighty
Stupendous
Historical
Unspoiled
Touristy
Flourished SYN ( blossom, thrive)
Strategic
Heyday
PAGE 5







Reenergize SYN (refresh).
Colonnaded (a row of tall columns).
Commemorate (recall and show respect for).
Monumental (massive).
Splendid SYN (elegant, wonderful, superb).
Modern
Dazzling SYN (outstanding, fabulous).
PAGE 6