Postcard from Jerash
Things that as a child of California I can’t even comprehend: Jordan’s ancient city of Jerash boasts an unbroken chain of human occupation for more than 6500 years. After it was conquered in 65 B.C., it became one of the 10 great cities of the Roman Empire. What’s even crazier is that it was hidden under sand until just 70 years ago: it’s still being excavated and restored.
I’ve been to plenty of sites of ancient Roman ruins, from Pompeii in Italy to various amphitheaters in the south of France. Jerash blew me away, however, with both the scale of the site and the intricate details of each piece. No surprise that it’s been acknowledged to be one of the best preserved Roman provincial towns IN THE WORLD. And in Jordan–I never would have guessed.
We visited during school holidays: how cool if this was your field trip! Apparently, the schools are segregated by sex, so this was a nice chance for everyone to mingle–plenty of singing and dancing was going on, especially when the bagpipers played.
What’s your favorite photo of Jerash?
Note: I was a guest of the Jordan Tourism Board, but all opinions are my own.
