Jarash Travel Guide

 MM212 Says:  The Cella (inner sanctuary) of the Temple of Artemis was built on a raised platform, towards the western end of the courtyard Temenos, with steps leading into the pronaos and the interior. It contains the iconic symbol of Jerash, the majestic Corinthian columns of the... 

 MM212 Says:  According to guidebooks, there are a few other excavated churches within the archaeological site of Jerash - some with mosaics - beyond the ones I've written about on this page. Unfortunately, I had a hard time locating them initially, and by the end of my visit I had run... 

 MM212 Says:  Beautifully preserved, the colonnaded Cardo Maximus of Gerasa was the main north-south thoroughfare of the city. It connected the North Gate with the Oval Plaza, beyond which rose the Temple of Zeus, and was intersected by two decumani, the east-west streets. Arched... 

 MM212 Says:  Although some stone carvings remain, the interior of the Cella of the Temple of Artemis is rather plain. This is because the marble covering the walls was removed or destroyed long ago, along with the altar containing a large statue of the goddess Artemis. The only... 

 MM212 Says:  One of two great temples in Jerash, the Temple of Zeus dominates a hill overlooking Roman Gerasa. It is dedicated to the Hellenistic god Zeus, one of the two patron gods of the city who was equated with Roman Jupiter and Semitic Haddad. The structure that has survived to... 

 MM212 Says:  As was customary in temple architecture in the Roman east, a spacious walled courtyard (the Temenos) surrounded the Temple of Artemis. This was a pagan Semitic tradition that was woven into Roman architecture in the Eastern Mediterranean and is rarely seen in the Roman West.... 

 MM212 Says:  Overlooking the Cardo Maximus, this was the grandest Propylaeum in Gerasa. It provided access to the monumental stairway which led up to the second monumental entrance of the Temple of Artemis, the patron goddess of Gerasa who was equated with Roman Diana and Semitic... 

 MM212 Says:  Unique to Jerash, this impressive oval-shaped plaza lies below the Temple of Zeus and marks the southern end of the Cardo Maximus. It measures 90 metres in length and 80 metres in width and is surrounded by a colonnade of 56 Ionic columns. The ground is paved with limestone... 

 MM212 Says:  Dedicated to Saints Cosmos and Damianus, this church is the northernmost of the Three Churches. Its outer walls are intact (or have been rebuilt), which made it easy to block access to the church to protect its wonderful and nearly complete mosaic floors. They contain human... 

 MM212 Says:  The oldest of the Three Church, the Church of Saint George was built in 529 AD. Unfortunately, it is also the worst preserved. Not only are its walls badly damaged, but much of its mosaic floors were deliberately vandalised during the iconoclastic period, when images in... 

 MM212 Says:  Dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, this church is wedged between the two other churches in the complex. It had a central quadrifoil-type plan, which has led some to believe it was used as a baptistry, especially given its dedication. It was built in 531 AD, just two years... 

 MM212 Says:  The second largest church complex in Jerash consists of these three adjacent churches. They are located west of the Cathedral complex and the Temple of Artemis. The three churches were built at different times using recycled materials from Roman structures, and all three... 

 MM212 Says:  As its name hints, this church was originally a synagogue built in the 4th or 5th century. In 530 AD, it was partially reconstructed and reconfigured as a church. Only the structure's outline, foundation walls, and column bases remain. It is located immediately east of the... 

 MM212 Says:  Located east-north-east of the Three Churches, the Church of Bishop Genesius has not survived so well. Some of its lower walls are still in place, which make the outline of the church, including the apse, quite visible. Otherwise, it consists of ruined fragments. Only a... 

 MM212 Says:  Located next to the North Theatre, the Church of Bishop Isaiah contains some of the most beautiful mosaics in Jerash. What is amazing is seeing them in situ, rather than at a museum somewhere. Based on a Greek inscription in the mosaics, archaeologists determined that it was... 

 MM212 Says:  The landscape around Jerash is astonishingly Mediterranean, despite being fairly distant from its shores, and rather close to the desert. I was quite surprised to see how fertile and forested the hills were. They included olive groves and pine forests. Attached are a few...