Our first day in Jordan ………looking over the capital city, Amman from our hotel roomAmman, in Greco-Roman times was know as Philadelphia and today it has become a modern city with a population of approximately 4 million peopleWe were collected from the hotel this morning by our personal tour driver while in Jordan, called Sammie. We start our first day of sightseeing by driving to the ancient city of Jerash, which is situated approximately 54 kms by road north of AmmanAs we head out of Amman we pass hundreds of identical looking apartment blocks lined up on the arid hills on either side of the highwayOn our journey north, travelling up Route 30 then Route 35 to Jerash, for the first time we see the tents of the Bedouins, who are Jordan’s desert-dwelling nomadsOn our trip the terrain we pass is quite hilly and dry in areas however there are numerous pockets of cultivationIt is not long before we near our destinationIn the distance we see the ancient site of JerashOn our arrival at the ancient site of Jerash we visit a cafe by the site and then we are escorted through the shopping area before going to the actual official entranceOur first impression of the ancient site of Jerash is how well preserved the standing structures were…….here we see one end of the large HippodromeThe second major structure we see and walk through is the Arch of Hadrian which was built to honour its guest, Emperor Hadrian who came to visit Jerash in 129ADMohammed, our guide was waiting for us on our arrival at the South Gate which is the official entrance to the site….we pass the 1st century AD Temple of Zeus on our way to the Oval PlazaOur first stop is to see the amazing Oval Plaza which is also known as the ForumThe Oval Plaza in fact was an unusual construction in the classical world because it was not symmetrical……..it joins the Temple of Zeus to the Cardo, or street of columnsWe next visit the South Theatre which dates back to 90-92 AD and seats about 3000 peopleThe South Theatre is in amazing condition and when constructed it was made to minimise the amount of sun that may fall on spectatorsIt is hard to escape the local talent who love being in photos !! For tips of course!!To this day the theater is still used for concerts and other cultural events and the acoustics are still quite outstandingLooking across to see Ric high up on the opposite side of the theaterGreat views looking towards the Oval Plaza and with the city of Jerash in the backgroundA quite an extraordinary sight was to see a whirlwind spinning around amongst the old ruinsLooking back to the beautifully preserved Oval Plaza……and the Temple of ZeusWe continue uphill towards the other areas of the ancient site and also see areas that had not been excavated to dateRows of pillars leading down to the Cardo Maximus, the main long Roman road of the siteIncredible mosaics can still be seen where churches once stood before being leveled during earthquakes in the 7th and 8th CenturiesOne of the most impressive temples of the site, with its 12 pillars still standing, is the Temple of Artemis which was built between 150 and 179 AD. Larger than the Temple of Zeus it is thought to be one of the most outstanding temples in any Provincial Roman cityFrom the Temple of Artemis the Monumental Staircase leads down to the Cardo Maximus
Cardo Maximus the 800 m long main road of ancient Jerash
The Nymphaeum Temple was the main ornamental fountain of ancient Jerash which was dedicated to the water nymphs. A basin still stands on the side walk in front of the well preserved building
As we continue our walking tour along Cardo Maximus towards the Oval Plaza we clearly can see the wheel ruts from ancient Roman chariotsLooking back along the main road of the ancient townNext we visit the Agora situated on the western side of Cardo Maximus. It is here where people in ancient times gathered for public meetings around the central fountainPlenty of tourists here at the site todayWe finally arrive back at the Oval Plaza and admire the incredible spacious area surrounded by 56 columnsOur final visit at the site is to the Hippodrome which is a massive arena that is 245 m long and 52 m wide. It could seat 15,000 spectators at a time for chariot races and other sportsWe leave the ancient site through the same way as we came in, via the Arch of HadrianWe leave Jerash and our driver Sammie takes us back to AmmanWe arrive back in the busy city of Amman and continue with a sightseeing tour of the cityWe start the tour with another private tour guide at the Amman Citadel which is a historical site in the center of downtown AmmanFrom the elevated site we have a wonderful view over the densely populated cityAmman’s Roman Theatre is a 6,000 seat, 2nd-century Roman theatre which is a famous landmark in the Jordanian capital which dates back to the Roman period when the city was known as Philadelphia
The Umayyad Mosque which is situated at the Citadel of Amman was constructed in the Medieval period, when the city was ruled by Muslim rulersTemple of Hercules is thought to be the most significant Roman structure in the Amman Citadel and was built when Geminius Marcianus was governor of the Province of Arabia (AD 162-166)The late afternoon traffic is starting to build up in the city as we return to the carWe make our way back to the hotelOnce Sammie dropped us back to the hotel we consider whether we should try the Chinese restaurant that we overlook from our roomThis evening we made a choice to have dinner in the restaurant in the hotelWe order a nice bottle of red wine from JordanAs an entree we start with some delicious sushi to shareBoth of us order a perfectly cooked steak with vegetables for our main courseWe decide to try a selection of desserts which were delightfulCity lights of Amman
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