Happy Eid from Amman



Jerash - "Hadrian's Arch" - Built to commemorate
visit of Emperor Hadrian in 129 AD

 I arrived in Amman last night, stop number three on my trip. I flew from Istanbul on a large Airbus plane, but there were only about 40 people on the flight- I had an entire middle section of 5 seats to myself. Even though the flight was only an hour and a half, they serve you a hot meal (free!) and any drinks you want (also free!). It makes me wonder why I'm stuck paying $5 for a giant chocolate chip cookie on flights back home.

Today is an important holiday in Islam, Eid, and so it is an official holiday in Jordan. Most stores are closed and most people are visiting with their families. Except for the tour guide who showed me around today - but lucky for him a lot of sites were closed as well, so it was a short day.

The highlight of the day was a visit to Jerash, an ancient city about 30 miles outside of Amman. The site is considered one of the largest and most well preserved examples of Roman architecture in the world (oustide of Italy). The ruins date back to the 1st and 2nd Centuries. It's really unbelievable - and only part of it has been excavated. There are theaters, column-lined streets, fountains, shops, streets (with carriage markings on them and manholes for the water system below), temples, churches, and a large public square (that is actually an oval). The largest theater seats 5,000 people, and the front seats had Greek letters on them because they were for specific and important people. Some of the granite used cannot be found in Jordan and is from Egypt. Jerash was a central point on a major commercial trade route until the mid-3rd Century. In 749, earthquakes did major damage to the city, and it was thought to be uninhabited not long after. It was re-discovered in 1806, and excavations began in 1925.

Tomorrow I head to Mt. Nebo and Madaba, before arriving in Petra at night.

View of Old Amman from the Citadel

Jerash - Temple of Zeus

Jerash - Column Lined Street (and awkward pose)

Jerash - part of a decorative water fountain in the city center, much like the Trevi Fountain (security camera at top not original to 2nd Century)

Jerash - Oval Plaza