Veteran actress-dancer Shobana visited the ancient Roman city of Jerash in Jordan recently and shared a video on Instagram. Jerash is among the most popular tourist attractions in Jordan, a country which lies at the western tip of the Asian continent. The ruined city is also considered the finest example of Roman architecture beyond Italy.
Sharing the video with her followers, in which we can see a group of musicians, Shobhana says, "I'm at the Roman city of Jerash. They have a ritual in which they perform something like us, before the beginning of a performance."
A city with a rich history
According to experts, Jerash has a history of around 6,500 years and it was once a prosperous cosmopolitan city.
Located 48 km from Jordan’s capital Amman and 40 km south of Irbid, Jerash is the second most popular tourist spot in the country after the Nabataean city of Petra.
Jerash has witnessed an eventful history. Its early inhabitants called the place ‘Garshu’, which later became ‘Gerasa’ and ‘Jerash’. When it was ruled by Alexander the Great in the fourth Century BC, Jerash grew from being a small village to a big city. In BC 63, Jerash was conquered by General Pompey, who brought it under the Roman empire. Under the Romans, Jerash was considered a major city in the Decapolis League.
However, during the third Century AD, the glory of the city began to wane. Persians attacked the city, followed by Arabs. Frequent earthquakes also took a toll on the city. Residents soon abandoned the place and the city turned into ruins covered by sand.
Later, in 1806, a German traveller named Ulrich Jasper Seetzen discovered a part of the ruins under the sand. Archaeological exploration began in the area in 1925, and still continues.
Watered by an ancient tank
Jerash is situated at an altitude of 500 m above sea level and experiences pleasant weather around the year. The region around Jerash is fertile and an ancient water storage tank irrigates the fields all through the year. In fact, trees such as olive, plum, fig, wheat, eucalyptus and deodar cover the hills and plains near the ancient city.
Authorities have preserved the ruins properly, enabling visitors to walk along the ancient colonnade streets, theatres, public bathrooms and fountains. The entry to the site is through the Jerash Visitors’ Centre on the South Gate.
