Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
'the Lord'. As testament to the Byzantine presence in Jerash, a total of 15 churches have
been uncovered among the ruins, with many more thought to be in the vicinity.
The Church of St Cosmos & St Damianus (look for a complex with four bulbous
columns and a thick outer wall) is one of the best-preserved of these churches. Consec-
rated in 533 in memory of twin brothers - both doctors, who devoted themselves to the
care of the poor and the needy, and who were martyred during the reign of Diocletian -
the church boasts the best-preserved mosaics at Jerash. Stand above the retaining wall and
you can clearly make out zoomorphic figures, geometric designs and medical symbols.
Some of the mosaics from this church are now housed in the Museum of Popular Tradi-
tions (
Click here
)
in Amman.
Continue up hill and just before you reach the great temple in front of you, sit on the
stone sarcophagus nearby and survey the view: this is one of the best vantage points in
Jerash, showing the extent of the ruins from North Gate to Hadrian's Gate.
Temple of Artemis
If you're lucky enough to visit Jerash on a partially cloudy day, you're in for a treat as the
sandstone pillars of the magnificent Temple of Artemis light up like bars of liquid gold
each time the sun comes out of the clouds. It's a magical sight, and magic, or the sense of
the world beyond, was exactly what the architects of this gem of a building would have
been trying to capture in the temple design.
Dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of hunting and fertility, and the daughter of Zeus, the
temple (deservedly one of the most photographed buildings of the ancient city) was built
between AD 150 and 170, and flanked by 12 elaborately carved Corinthian columns, 11 of
which are still standing. The construction of the temple is particularly impressive given
that large vaults, housing temple treasure, had to be built to the north and south to make
the courtyard level. The whole of the building was once clad in shimmering marble and
prized statues of Artemis would have adorned the niches.
Alas, the edict of Theodorius in AD 386, permitting the dismantling of pagan temples,
led to the demise of this once-grand edifice as the temple was picked apart for materials to
construct new churches. The Byzantines further disgraced the site by converting it into a
mere artisan workshop for kitchenware and crockery. In the 12th century the structure was
temporarily brought back to life as an Arab fortification, only to be destroyed by the in-
vading Crusaders.
If the wanton destruction gets the better of you, this is another good place to cut and
run. You can descend through the
propylaeum
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, built in 150
TEMPLE
