THE HOLY LAND REGION BY REGION - Jerusalem and the Holy Land - page 202

Umm Qais 1
Road map C2.100 km (62 miles) NW
of Amman . # 7am-sunset daily. &

Umm Qais is the site of the
ancient Graeco-Roman city of
Gadara. The ruins lie in lush
hill country overlooking the
Golan Heights and the Sea of
Galilee. The city is well known
from the Bible for Jesus's
miracle of the Gadarene Swine,
when he cast out demons
into pigs (Matthew 8: 28-34).
Since 1974, archaeologists
have uncovered many
impressive Roman remains,
including a colonnaded street,
a theatre and a mausoleum.

Ajlun 2
Road map C3. 50 km (31 miles) W
of Amman. n [phone].
Fortress # 8am-5pm daily. & View of Jerash's Cardo, Agora (market place) and unusual Oval Plaza

Jerash 3
Road map C3. 50 km (31 miles) N
of Amman. @ from Amman.
Tel [phone].

The market town of Ajlun is (see pp220-31) in AD 106

brought the city even more
wealth. By AD 130 ancient
Gerasa was at its zenith.
Having become a favourite city
of Hadrian (see p43) , it
flourished both economically
and socially. After a period of
decline in the 3rd century, it
enjoyed a renaissance as a
Christian city under the Byzan-
tines, notably in the reign of
Justinian ( A D

A
dominated by the fortress
of Qalat ar-Rabad , a superb
example of Arab military
engineering. Built in 1184-5,
partly in response to Crusader
incursions in the region, it
was later used by the Ottomans
up until the 18th century. At a
height of more than 1,200 m
(4,000 ft), it offers fantastic
views over the Jordan Valley.

# Oct-Apr:
8am-4pm; May-Sep: 8am-7pm daily.
Sound & Light Shows Jul-Oct:
8:30-10:30pm daily. _ Arts Festival
(late Jul-early Aug). Tel (06) 567 l

5199. www .jerashfestival.com.jo

Excavations of Jerash, known
as Gerasa in Classical
times, began in the
1920s, bringing to
light one of the
best preserved
and most original
Roman cities in the
Middle East. It was
during the Hellenistic
period of the 3rd
century BC that
Jerash became an
urban centre and a
member of the loose federation
of Greek cities known as the
Decapolis (see p42) . From the
1st century BC Jerash drew
considerable prestige from the
semi-independent status it was
given within the Roman
province of Syria. It prospered
greatly from its position on the
incense and spice trade route
from the Arabian Peninsula to
Syria and the Mediterranean.
Jerash lost its autonomy under
Trajan, but his annexation of T
the Nabataean capital Petra

( 527-65).
The Muslims took over
the city in 635, and it
was badly
damaged by
a series of earth-
quakes in the 8th
century. The final blow
to the city was dealt by
Baldwin II of
Jerusalem in 1112
during the Crusades
(see pp48-9) .
The city is reached through
Hadrian's Arch , built in honour
of the Roman emperor.
Alongside is the Hippodrome ,
where Gerasa's chariot races
and other sporting events took
place, and a little way down
the track is the South Gate ,
part of the 4th-century AD city
wall. To its left, and on a
prominent rise is first the
Te m ple of Zeus , and then the
South Theatre , which nowa-
days is used as a venue for the
Jerash Festival (see p37) . The

Environs
About 30 km (19 miles)
northwest of Ajlun iA Pella .
Water, fertile land and, later,
its location on two major trade
routes were drawing settlers
here well before 3000 BC. Its
Roman-Byzantine ruins are
today's attraction, particularly
the colonnaded atrium.

Detail of floor mosaic
in St George's Church

The Arab fortress at Ajlun, built
to stem the Crusaders' advance

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262-3 and pp279-80