leisure: Jerash
Jerash
PRESERVED ROME
Today, Jerash is recognised as one of the best preserved provincial cities of the Roman Empire. When Rome took control of Syria, Jerash became a member of the Decapolis, a dynamic commercial league of 10 Graeco-Roman cities.
In 106 AD, the Emperor Trajan annexed the wealthy Nabataean kingdom and formed the province of Arabia. This was lucrative for trading in Jerash and a burst of construction activity quickly followed.
When the Emperor Hadrian visited Jerash in 129 AD, the city was already wealthy and, to honour its guest, a Triumphal Arch was erected.
Jerash was an open city of freestanding structures richly embellished with marble and granite. Its engineering was so advanced that large parts of the city still survive today.
Places of particular interest include Hadrian’s Arch, the Roman Cardo, Oval Plaza, the Hippodrome, the Nymphaeum ornamental fountain, and the North and South Theatres.
From July to October sound and light shows take place on some evenings.
Ideal for: Full-day excursion
Group size: 10 - 50
Timings: 7am - 10pm
Top tip: When exploring the ruins, wear sunblock, sensible clothes and comfortable footwear
CHARIOT RACING
Legionnaires, gladiators and chariot races have returned to Jerash offering modern day spectators a day out with a difference. The Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE) offers a taste of real Roman entertainment with a daily show at the hippodrome.
The newly restored hippodrome makes the perfect setting for this Roman extravaganza which includes a parade from 40 legionnaires showing their use of weapons.
The military parade is followed by four pairs of gladiators who then battle it out with traditional weapons, including trident, net and gladius (sword). The audience gets to decide the fate of the loser with thumbs up or down.
After the gladiators performance the chariot races start, with four teams racing for top honours and hoping for backing from the crowd.
The RACE facility can be hired out for private functions, and when lit at night by candles, provides the perfect setting for an end of incentive dinner or awards programme.
Ideal for: End of incentive event
Group size: 10 - 500
Timings: Open daily
Top tip: Encourage friendly competition among delegates to support various gladiators
JERASH ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM
The Jerash Archaeological Museum was established in 1923 inside one of the vaults of the courtyard of the Artemis Temple. In 1985, the museum was moved to the renovated old rest house, with the first exhibition there entitled ‘Jordan through the Ages.’
The museum is now dedicated solely to discoveries from Jerash region and its collections span the archaeological periods from the Neolithic up to the Mamluk period. The displays are in chronological order with typological and functional divisions.
The museum houses large collections of pottery, glass, metals and coins, precious stones, figurines and statues, altars and mosaics. In the garden of the museum, Greek and Latin monumental inscriptions are on display next to marble statues and stone sarcophagi.
Ideal for: Midday activity
Group size: 10 - 30
Timings: Open 8am - 4pm every day, except for Fridays
Top tip: Plan a private lunch or reception in the gardens of the museum to add to a corporate day out
AJLOUN CASTLE
A short drive from Jerash sits the towering Ayyubid castle at Ajloun, built by one of Saladin’s generals in 1184 to control the nearby iron mines and deter the crusaders from invading the town.
Ajloun Castle dominated the three main routes leading to the Jordan Valley and protected the trade and commercial routes between Jordan and Syria. The original castle had four towers, arrow slits incorporated into the thick walls, and it was surrounded by a moat averaging 16 metres in width and 15 metres deep.
In 1215, the Mamluk officer Aibak Ibn Abdullah expanded the castle by adding a new tower in the southeast corner and a bridge that can still be seen decorated with pigeon reliefs.
The castle was conceded in the 13th century to Salah al-Din Yousef Ibn Ayoub, ruler of Aleppo and Damascus, who restored the northeastern tower. These expansion efforts were interrupted in 1260, when Mongol invaders destroyed the castle, but almost immediately, the Mamluk Sultan Baybars reconquered and rebuilt the fortress.
Ideal for: Part of full day in Jerash
Group size: 10 - 50
Timings: Open daily during daylight hours
Top tip: Ajloun Castle affords great views of the Jordan Valley so ask your guide to provide the team with binoculars
