Jordan Trip: Day Two in Jerash

On our second day in Jordan, Anwar and I visited a city less than an hour north of Amman called Jerash. We decided to take the most economical route to get there: a bus that runs twice a day that mainly transports locals between Amman and Jerash. The bus usually stops on the north end of town, but luckily the driver noticed that we were not locals and made a special stop to let us off at the archeological site.

The South Gate of the ruins at Jerash

Jerash is the site of ancient Roman ruins that are absolutely spectacular to look at. The city of Amman's Citadel ruins pale in comparison to the ruins at Jerash. Highlights included the South Gate, Temple of Zeus, Temple of Artemis, as well a huge Oval Forum lined with giant columns.

Colonnaded cobblestone street

Overlooking the Oval Forum

A man in traditional Jordanian dress

Temple of Artemis

At the archeological site, Anwar and I decided to find a tour guide who would be able to tell us a bit more about the history of what we were looking at. We found a British couple who were being guided and asked if we could tag along on their tour. The tour guide was a Jordanian man named Muhammad who was absolutely hilarious. The British couple was a bit older, and our tour guide kept addressing the man as "Gentle Man" (said like two words) and "Doctor." He also clearly loved to take photos, and would take our cameras from us and take pictures if he felt we weren't getting the right angle on something. "No, here is the best spot!" "You will never forget me for this picture!" "This one's worth a million!"

Our friendly tour guide, Muhammad

Jerash was absolutely stunning, not only because of the magnificence of the ruins but also for the landscape and its natural beauty. The ruins sit atop rolling hills of vibrant green grass, and shepherds still graze their goats on the site.