Jerash
From BlogJordan
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Jerash is the capital of Jerash Governorate (Arabic:محافظة جرش) near to Ajlun in Jordan.It rests on both banks of Wadi Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wadi ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok River). It is almost 20 miles from Amman, and 22 from Fahil (Pella). The ruins are wide and imposing and are better preserved than any others on the East of Jordan. They include several splendid temples, theaters, basilica, palaces and baths, with hippodrome and naumachia. The triumphal arch to the South of the city is almost entire. Two paved streets with double colonnades cut through the city at right angles, four massive pedestals still marking the point of intersection.[1] |
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Ancient Gerasa[2]
Jerash is known for the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. It is sometimes misleadingly referred to as the "Pompeii of the Middle East or Asia", referring to its size, extent of excavation and level of preservation (though Jerash was never buried by a volcano). Jerash is considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Near East. It was a city of the Decapolis.
Recent excavations show that Jerash was inhabited during the Bronze Age and Iron Age (3200 BC - 1200 BC. After the Roman conquest in 63 BC, Jerash and the land surrounding it were annexed by the Roman province of Syria, and later joined the Decapolis cities. In AD 90, Jerash was absorbed into the Roman province of Arabia, which included the city of Philadelphia (modern day Amman). The Romans ensured security and peace in this area which enabled its people to devote their efforts and time to economic development and building activity.
In the second half of the first century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity. In AD 106, the Emperor Trajan constructed roads throughout the provinces and more trade came to Jerash. The Emperor Hadrian visited Jerash in AD 129-130. A remarkable Latin inscription records a religious dedication set up by members of the imperial mounted bodyguard "wintering" there. The Triumphal Arch (or Arch of Hadrian) was built to celebrate his visit.
The city finally reached a size of about 800,000 square metres within its walls. The Persian invasion in AD 614 caused the rapid decline of Jerash. However, the city continued to flourish during the Umayyad Period, as shown by recent excavations. In AD 746, a major earthquake destroyed much of Jerash and its surroundings. During the period of the Crusades, some of the monuments were converted to fortresses including the Temple of Artemis. Small settlements continued in Jerash during the Ayyubid, Mameluk and Ottoman periods. Excavation and restoration of Jerash has been almost continuous since the 1920s.
There are a large number of striking monuments located in Jerash: the Corinthium column, Hadrian's Arch, a circus/hippodrome, two immense temples (to Zeus and Artemis), the nearly unique oval Forum which is surrounded by a fine colonnade, a long colonnaded street or cardo, two theatres (the Large South Theatre and smaller North Theatre), two baths, a scatter of small temples and an almost complete circuit of city walls. Most of these monuments were built by donations of the city's wealthy citizens. From AD 350, a large Christian community lived in Jerash, and between AD 400-600, more than thirteen churches were built, many with superb mosaic floors. A cathedral was built in the fourth century A.D. An ancient synagogue with detailed mosaics, including the story of Noah, was found beneath a church.
Today the ruins of Jerash are thoroughly excavated and excellently preserved. This has led to a nickname, the "Asian Pompeii."
Modern Day Jerash
The modern city of Jerash can be found to the east of the ruins. While the old and new share a city wall, careful preservation and planning has seen the city itself develop well away from the ruins so there is no encroachment on the sites of old.
The Jerash governate is composed of the town of Jerash and seven surrounding villages; Nahlé, Sakèb, Burma, Raimoun, Majdal being the more populated. the actual town proper was re-inhabited during the second half of the nineteenth century by the local people of souf and the surrounding villages. During that Jerash was a target for successive migrants waves include Syrians(Shwam), the Circassians and in at the second half of twenteeth century by the Palestinian Refugees situated on the periphery in refugee camps donating where they originally came from, the biggest being Gaza Camp with a popilation of circa. 100,000.
Jerash has developed dramatically in the last 50 years, This is due to its strategic location in the heart of Jordan and because of the growing importance of the tourism industry to the city. Jerash is now the second-most popular tourist attraction in Jordan, closely behind the splendid ruins of Petra. The ruins have been carefully preserved and spared from encroachment, with the modern city sprawling to the west of ancient Jerash's city walls.
Every July since 1981, the old city of Jerash hosts the famous Jerash Festival, a three week summer program featuring folklore dances by local and international groups, ballet, concerts, plays, opera, popular singers and sales of traditional handicrafts, all in the brilliantly floodlit dramatic surroundings of the Jerash ruins.
The festival is frequently attended by members of the royal family of Jordan, and is hailed as one of the largest cultural activities in the region. Some of the Jerash Festival events, especially the poetic conferences, are held in the capital city of Amman. However, the festivities have been suspended for the 2006 season due to regional instability.
Biblical Accounts
A large ecclesiastical complex within the city houses a fountain where Byzantine citizens once annually celebrated Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine. Today, the "Fountain Court" within Jerash is a popular destination for modern pilgrims who want to commemorate the travels and teachings of Jesus in the most spectacular remains of a city of the Decapolis.
Ancient Gerasa, considered to be the chora ton Gerasenon or "country of the Gerasenes" referred to in Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26, and Luke 8:37, raises some controversy regarding the reference to 'chora ton Gadarenon or "region of the Gadarenes" as described in Matthew 8:28.
There is no good reason, however, to question the accuracy of the text in either case. The city of Gadara is represented today by the ruins of Umm Qais on the heights south of el-Chummeh--the hot springs in the Yarmuk valley--about 6 miles Southeast of the Sea of Galilee[3]
For more on this, please refer to the article Umm Qais entitled: 'Controversy in Country of the Gadarenes'
References
- ↑ The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Gerasa
- ↑ Wikipedia: Jerash
- ↑ The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Gerasa
