ancient ruins
Jerash
One of the best-preserved and most complete Roman provincial cities in the world, featuring colonnaded streets, temples, theaters, and an unusual oval plaza.
1 km · about 5 min drive
Jerash, Jordan · Asia
Jarash is worth a stop: 10 minutes from Al Kittah, 1km from Jerash.
Jarash is a town located in Jerash, Jordan. With a population of 27,046, it is an important destination in Asia.
On a road trip, Jarash sits in Jordan. It's in the Asia/Amman time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Jarash to your route.
Jerash or Jarash (Arabic: جرش, romanized: Ǧaraš [dʒaraʃ]; Greek: Γέρασα, romanized: Gérasa, Koine Greek pronunciation: [ˈɡerasa]) is a city in northern Jordan. The city is the administrative center of the Jerash Governorate, and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located 30.0 miles (48.3 kms) north of theRead more
capital city Amman.
The earliest evidence of settlement in Jerash is in a Neolithic site known as Tal Abu Sowan, where rare human remains dating to around 7500 BC were uncovered. Jerash flourished during the Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, when it was known as Gerasa. It was one of the cities of the Hellenistic cities of the Decapolis. It was an important city in early Christian times and its early churches, some of which were formerly temples, include notable examples of the evolution of church architecture. In the mid-eighth century the 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed large parts of it, and subsequent earthquakes contributed to additional destruction.
In 1120,Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus ordered a garrison of forty men to build up a fort in an unknown site of the ruins of the ancient city, likely the highest spot of the city walls in the north-eastern hills. It was captured in 1121 by Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, and utterly destroyed. The Crusaders immediately abandoned Jerash and withdrew to Sakib (Seecip); the eastern border of the settlement.
Jerash was then deserted and reappeared in the historical record at the beginning of Ottoman rule in the area during the early 16th century. In the census of 1596, it had a population of 12 Muslim households. However, archaeologists found a small Mamluk hamlet in the Northwest Quarter which indicates that Jerash was resettled before the Ottoman era. The excavations conducted since 2011 have shed light on the Middle Islamic period as recent discoveries have uncovered a large concentration of Middle Islamic/Mamluk structures and pottery. The ancient city has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations since 1925.
Jerash today is home to one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities, which earned it the nickname "Pompeii of the Middle East".
In 2025, the findings of a mass grave excavated in Jerash attest archaeologically and genetically to the presence of the Plague of Justinian in this region of the world.
Approximately 330,000 visitors arrived in Jerash in 2018, making it one of the most visited sites in Jordan. The city hosts the Jerash Festival, one of the leading cultural events in the Middle East that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.
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Jarash is located in Jerash, Jordan, Asia. The coordinates are 32.2808 latitude, 35.8993 longitude.
Jarash has a population of approximately 27,046 people, making it a town in Jordan.
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2 notable places within an hour's drive.
ancient ruins
One of the best-preserved and most complete Roman provincial cities in the world, featuring colonnaded streets, temples, theaters, and an unusual oval plaza.
1 km · about 5 min drive
castle
A 12th-century Ayyubid castle built by Saladin's general on a hilltop to control the Jordan Valley iron mines and counter Crusader expansion.
19 km · about 20 min drive
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