Today was a morning trip up to Jerash and back. Organised through the hotel for 60JOD, I probably over-paid but the car was very nice and the Palestinian driver very talkative and kind.
I was surprised at how mountainous the drive was but the highway was decent enough. Just under an hour later we were parked and walking into the ancient city of Jerash. 10JOD entry fee with no queues.
You enter the site through the South gate (Hadrian's Arch) with the Hippodrome to the left. Both very impressive and well preserved. Passing through a second gate and ticket check you enter the city-proper. I was completely blown away by the scale of site, it was absolutely huge and much bigger than I was expecting.
Much of the city was built during Roman occupation, then being repurposed during the Byzantine and early Arab eras. The city was destroyed during an Earthquake in 749AD with it remaining mostly untouched since then.
I was most impressed with the two amphitheatres and the main street complete with a subsoil sewer system and manholes (sorry the engineer in me is coming out). Some of the mosaic floors were also incredibly well preserved.
There were a few tour groups around but due to the shear size of the city it was still very quiet and nice to walk around. I spend around 3.5 hours wandering and taking pictures. Whilst similar in age and history to the Amman Citadel the ancient city of Jerash is significantly larger and more impressive. If you have the time in Jordan I would definitely recommend it.
I slowly made my way back to the carpark and after an over-priced lunch we drove back to Amman ready to meet my fellow tour-mates and begin the actual Jordan adventure.