Jerash is the reason many travelers who came to Jordan for Petra end up talking about Rome. About 45 km north of Amman, the ancient city of Gerasa is one of the largest Roman archaeological cities in the world — a colonnaded main street you can still walk end to end, two theatres, temples, a hippodrome and a monumental arch, all set against the modern town that grew up beside it. After Petra it is Jordan’s most visited site. This guide covers what you will see, the story behind it, how to get there from Amman, tickets and the Jordan Pass, the summer festival, and how to spend time in the green countryside around it.

Jerash at a glance

A short history of Gerasa

People lived here long before the Romans — excavations in 2015 uncovered human remains from the Neolithic period, thousands of years before any colonnade was built. The city’s Greek founding is credited to different Hellenistic rulers depending on the source, from a general of Alexander the Great to later Seleucid and Ptolemaic kings.

The turning point came in 63 BC, when the Roman general Pompey conquered the region and attached Gerasa to the Decapolis (“ten cities”), a league of Greco-Roman cities in the east. The first century AD brought great prosperity, and in 106 AD the city became part of the new Roman province of Arabia. When Emperor Hadrian visited in 129–130 AD, the city built a triumphal arch in his honour.

Under Byzantine rule Gerasa became a Christian city: at least 14 churches were built between the 4th and 7th centuries, many with fine mosaic floors. It continued to thrive in the early Islamic period — under the Umayyads it even minted its own coins — until a major earthquake in 749 destroyed much of the city. Over the following centuries it was largely deserted, and its ruins lay hidden under sand for centuries. Systematic excavation began in 1925 and continues today.

What to see, from south to north

The site is laid out along a single north–south spine, so the easiest way to see it is to enter from the south and walk north along the main street, then loop back. The distances are real — the hippodrome alone is 245 metres long and the Cardo 800 metres — so wear good shoes and carry water.

Hadrian’s Arch

The first monument you meet is the arch built to mark Emperor Hadrian’s visit in 129 AD. It was meant to become the city’s main southern gate as Gerasa expanded — an expansion that was never completed.

The hippodrome

Just inside, the long chariot-racing arena measures 245 by 52 metres and once seated around 15,000 spectators. It has been used for the Roman Army and Chariot Experience, a re-enactment with legionaries, gladiators and chariot races; ask at the visitor centre whether shows are currently running before you plan around one.

The Oval Plaza

Through the South Gate you step into the image most people know Jerash by: an oval plaza about 90 by 80 metres, ringed by Ionic columns. Jordan’s tourism board calls it emblematic of the ancient city. Its job was practical as well as grand: it connects the main street with the hill-top Sanctuary of Zeus. The paving you walk on dates from the 4th century AD.

The Temple of Zeus

Above the plaza, the Sanctuary of Zeus is one of the city’s two great temple complexes. Climb up for the best view on the site: the oval of columns below you, the Cardo running away to the north, and the modern town on the far side of the valley.

The South Theatre

Next to the temple, the South Theatre can seat more than 3,000 people. Find the stone marker at the centre of the orchestra: speak from there in a normal voice and you will be heard across the seating — Roman acoustics at work.

The Cardo

The colonnaded main street runs about 800 metres north from the plaza and was the spine of the city. It is crossed by side streets (the decumani), and at two of the main crossings stood tetrapyla, monumental four-way arches. Walk it slowly — this is the street the whole city was built around.

The Nymphaeum

Halfway along the Cardo is the city’s grand public fountain, built in 191 AD and dedicated to the nymphs. Water fed by an aqueduct once poured out through seven carved lions’ heads into the basin below.

The Cathedral and the churches

The so-called Cathedral was originally a 2nd-century temple to Dionysus, rebuilt as a Byzantine church in the 4th century. It is one of at least 14 churches in Jerash, and several of the others still have their mosaic floors.

The Temple of Artemis

The second great sanctuary, dedicated to Artemis, is approached through a monumental gateway (the propylaeum). Its tall columns are among the most photographed sights in Jerash.

The North Theatre

At the northern end, the smaller North Theatre was built in 165 AD and doubled in size in 235 AD to hold about 1,600 people. It is a good, quieter place to sit before you walk back south.

The Jerash Archaeological Museum

Founded in 1985, the museum covers everything from the Palaeolithic to the late Islamic period: pottery, jewellery, coins, statues and mosaic panels, with carved stone sarcophagi in the outer courtyard. Its first home was inside one of the vaults of the Temple of Artemis courtyard. The visitor centre also shows recent finds from the excavations.

The Jerash Festival

Every summer since 1981, the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts turns the ancient theatres, plazas and streets into stages for music, folklore, theatre, handicrafts and art. It usually runs from the end of July into early August — the 40th edition in 2026 opened on 22 July and ran to 2 August. If your dates line up, an evening performance in a Roman theatre is a memorable way to see the site.

Getting to Jerash from Amman

• By bus or minibus: buses and minibuses leave from Amman’s North Bus Station (Tabarbour), reached by taxi from most of the city, and drop you near the main entrance to the site. Minibuses often leave only when full, so allow extra time, and check on the day if you travel on a Friday, when services can be thin.
• By taxi or driver: the simplest option for a day trip, and it lets you combine Jerash with Ajloun or the countryside in one day.
• With a local guide: most of Simsem’s Jerash experiences include transport from Amman — check each listing (see below).

Tickets and the Jordan Pass

Jerash is one of the more than 40 attractions included in the Jordan Pass, which also covers Petra and Wadi Rum and includes the cost of your tourist visa — for most visitors who are also going to Petra it is the simplest way to pay. Otherwise, tickets are sold at the site. Check the official Jordan Pass website for the current terms before you buy.

Beyond the ruins: food, forests and villages

Jerash sits in the greenest part of Jordan, and the countryside around it is worth as much time as the ruins. Jordan’s tourism board points visitors to the Dibbeen Forest Reserve — which it describes as an oasis of peace, home to 17 endangered species — and to local beekeepers and nature projects around the governorate. Village life here also means home cooking: lunch or dinner in a family home is the best way to try northern dishes such as those in our guide to Jordanian food. Many visitors pair Jerash with the castle and forests of nearby Ajloun in a single day. For the rest of the country, see our guide to the best places to visit in Jordan.

Local-guided experiences in and around Jerash

Jerash FAQ

Sources

• Jordan Tourism Board — Jerash — distance from Amman, Hadrian’s Arch, hippodrome, Oval Plaza and Cardo dimensions, theatres, Nymphaeum, Cathedral, museum origin, RACE, festival timing, Dibbeen
• Visit Jerash (Jordan Tourism Board) — Oval Plaza role and dating, nature sites
• Visit Jerash — Archaeological Site & Museum — scale of the site, museum collection
• Jerash (Wikipedia) — history timeline, churches, South Theatre acoustics, tetrapyla, festival since 1981, visitor ranking
• UNESCO — Jerash Archaeological City (Tentative List) — tentative listing, 2004
• Jordan Pass — Jerash included; over 40 sites; visa cost included
• Petra News Agency — 40th Jerash Festival — 2026 festival dates
• Rome2Rio — Tabarbour to Jerash — bus and taxi options from Amman