Jerash

Jerash, or Jarash, is a city in northern Jordan and the administrative centre of the Jerash Governorate. It has a population of 50,745 as of 2015 and lies 30.0 miles (48.3 kms) north of the capital Amman. Today it is home to one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities, which earned it the nickname Pompeii of the Middle East. Approximately 330,000 visitors arrived in 2018, making it one of the most visited sites in Jordan.

The earliest evidence of settlement is a Neolithic site known as Tal Abu Sowan, where rare human remains dating to around 7500 BC were uncovered. In 2015 a University of Jordan team unearthed two human skulls from the Neolithic period (7500–5500 BC), and archaeologists estimate that a maximum of 12 sites across the world contain similar remains. Evidence of Bronze Age settlements (3200–1200 BC) has also been found.

Jerash flourished during the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, when it was known as Gerasa, and was one of the Hellenistic cities of the Decapolis. Greek inscriptions support a founding by Alexander the Great and his general Perdiccas, who allegedly settled aged Macedonian soldiers there in the spring of 331 BC. Other sources point to the Seleucid King Antioch IV or to Ptolemy II of Egypt. In the early 80s BC the Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus conquered it.

The city was important in early Christian times, and its early churches, some formerly temples, include notable examples of the evolution of church architecture. In the mid-eighth century the 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed large parts of it. In 1120 Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin of Damascus ordered a garrison of forty men to build a fort in the ruins, and it was captured in 1121 by Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, and utterly destroyed.

Jerash was then deserted and reappeared in the record under Ottoman rule in the early 16th century. The census of 1596 listed 12 Muslim households. A small Mamluk hamlet found in the Northwest Quarter shows it had been resettled earlier. The ancient city has been gradually revealed through excavations since 1925, and in 2025 a mass grave attested the presence of the Plague of Justinian in this region.

Neolithic age

Archaeologists have found ruins of settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age. Moreover, in August 2015, an archaeological excavation team from the University of Jordan unearthed two human skulls that date back to the Neolithic period (7500–5500 BC) at a site in Jerash. This forms solid evidence of inhabitance of Jordan in that period, especially in connection with the existence of 'Ain Ghazal Neolithic settlement in Amman. The importance of the discovery lies in the rarity of the skulls, as archaeologists estimate that a maximum of 12 sites across the world contain similar human remains.

Bronze Age

Evidence of settlements dating to the Bronze Age (3200–1200 BC) have been found in the region.

Hellenistic period

Jerash is the site of the ruins of the Greek city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. Ancient Greek inscriptions from the city support that the city was founded by Alexander the Great and his general Perdiccas, who allegedly settled aged Macedonian soldiers there during the spring of 331 BC, when he left Egypt and crossed Syria en route to Mesopotamia. However, other sources, namely the city's former name of "Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas," point to a founding by Seleucid King Antioch IV, while still others attribute the founding to Ptolemy II of Egypt.

In the early 80s BC Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus besieged and conquered Gerasa, incorporating it into the Kingdom of Judea. Archeological findings indicate that public buildings in Gerasa may have been destroyed during that period.

Roman period

With the Roman conquest of the area in 63 BC, the short-lived Jewish rule of Gerasa came to an end. Pompey attached the city to the Decapolis, a league of Hellenistic cities that enjoyed considerable autonomy under Roman protection. The historian Josephus mentions the city as being principally inhabited by Syrians, and also having a small Jewish community. During the First Jewish–Roman War, Gerasa was among the few non-Jewish cities in the region not to kill or imprison its Jewish residents, and its residents even escorted any Jews who wanted to leave to the border.

Gerasa was the birthplace of the mathematician Nicomachus of Gerasa (Greek: Νικόμαχος) (c. 60 – c. 120 AD). It has been proposed to identify it as Geresh, a place mentioned by Josephus as the birthplace of Jewish Zealot leader Simon bar Giora, but other scholars identify it with modern-day Jurish.

In the second half of the 1st century AD, the city of Gerasa achieved great prosperity. In AD 106, Geras was absorbed into the Roman province of Arabia, which included the cities of Philadelphia (modern day Amman), Petra and Bostra. The Romans ensured security and peace in this area, which enabled its people to devote their efforts and time to economic development and encouraged civic building activity. Emperor Trajan constructed roads throughout the province, and more trade came to Jerash. Emperor Hadrian visited Gerasa in AD 129–130, and the triumphal arch known as the Arch of Hadrian was built to celebrate this occasion.

Byzantine period

The city finally reached a size of about 80 ha (200 acres) within its walls. Beneath the foundations of a Byzantine church built in Gerasa in AD 530 a mosaic floor was discovered with ancient Greek and Hebrew-Aramaic inscriptions. The presence of the Hebrew-Aramaic script has led scholars to suggest that the place was a synagogue converted into a church. Gerasa was invaded by the Persian Sassanids in AD 614. In 636, the Byzantine army was defeated in the Battle of the Yarmuk by the invading Muslim forces and these territories became part of the Rashidun Caliphate.

Umayyad period

The city flourished during the Umayyad Caliphate. It had numerous shops and issued coins with the mint named "Jerash" in Arabic. It was also a centre for ceramic manufacture; molded ceramic lamps had Arabic inscriptions that showed the potter's name and Jerash as the place of manufacture. The large mosque and several churches that continued to be used as places of worship, indicated that during the Umayyad period Jerash had a sizable Muslim community that co-existed with the Christians. In 749, a devastating earthquake destroyed much of Jerash and its surroundings.

Crusader period

In the early 12th century a fortress was built by a garrison stationed in the area by the Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus. Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, captured and burned the fortress in 1121–1122. Although the site of the fortification has often been identified with the ruins of the temple of Artemis, there is no evidence of the construction of a fortification in the temple in the 12th century. The location of this fort is probably to be found at the highest point of the city walls, in the north-eastern hills.

Mid to Late Muslim period

Small settlements continued in Jerash during the Mamluk Sultanate, and Ottoman periods. This occurred particularly in the Northwest Quarter and around the Temple of Zeus, where several Islamic Mamluk domestic structures have now been excavated.

In 1596, during the Ottoman era, Jerash was noted in the census as Jaras, being located in the nahiya of Bani Ilwan in the liwa of Ajloun. It had a population of 12 Muslim households. They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, olive trees/fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to occasional revenues and a press for olive oil/grape syrup; a total of 6,000 akçe.

In 1838 Jerash was described as a ruin.