The Ruins of Jerash – Jerash, Jordan - Atlas Obscura
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The Ruins of Jerash

Jerash, Jordan

Gladiators battle and chariots race daily in the ruins of a once-great Roman city. 

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The Oval Forum in Jerash, and the Cardo Maximus Azurfrog (Creative Commons)
The Oval Forum in Jerash, and the Cardo Maximus Azurfrog (Creative Commons)
Chariot racing http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm... (Creative Commons)
The Cardo "Colonnaded Street" in Jerash, Jordan Freedom's Falcon (Creative Commons)
Roman Army & Chariot Experience yeowatzup (Creative Commons)
Southern theater Croatoa (Atlas Obscura User)
Temple of Artemis Croatoa (Atlas Obscura User)
The imposing entrance to Jerash's Temple of Artemis Joel Cusumano (Atlas Obscura User)
A vendor sells souvenirs in front of Jerash's Nymphaeum Joel Cusumano (Atlas Obscura User)
The tiled floor of Jerash's Byzantine-era Christian church Joel Cusumano (Atlas Obscura User)
Ruins of Jerash eliay (Atlas Obscura User)
The cardo maximus Mappo (Creative Commons)
Arch of Hadrian Azurfrog (Creative Commons)
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There are a few places in the world where one has the opportunity to see history re-inacted, but only in the ancient hippodrome of Jerash can you witness chariots race or gladiators in full regalia clash on the site where Roman athletes and warriors one walked and fought.

Hidden for hundreds of years under the shifting sands of Jordan, picturesque ruins are all that remains of a once-great ancient city that saw the likes of Alexander the Great, the emperors Trajan and Hadrian, and the mathematician Nichomachas.

Most of the ancient city of Gerasa was destroyed in an earthquake in 749 AD, leading to comparisons to another great Roman city: Pompeii. The ruins were re-discovered in 1806 by German explorer Ulrich Jasper Seetzen.

Today it is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the Middle East, and is a popular destination for those who would like to witness the majesty of Roman architecture, marvel at extraordinarily well preserved mosaics and carvings, and to see full-speed horse-drawn chariot races.

The Jerash Heritage Company puts on daily spectacles known as the “Roman Army and Chariot Experience”, with 45 “legionaries” in showing off battle tactics in armor, gladiators battling, and a seven lap race in Roman chariots.

 

 

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