Jerash : the Land of astonishing Roman Ruins.

Do you remember the first time you were travelling solo? The anxious feeling in your stomach right before leaving the house for the airport? You thinking to yourself “what now?” when you’ve reached your destination. The small victory dance thinking “yes! I finally made it!”, once you’re in the privacy of your room. All of these feelings were Jordan for me.

I was 21 and not well traveled. No plan in my head, I had three days to myself for my birthday and a feeling of getting away. All of these together were a perfect mix for an impromptu vacation. So i dropped my mom a text (because priorities), booked my flight and left.

Look for: Jordan Pass before you leave. It costs around $100 and gives you entry in the country along with entries to multiple UNESCO Heritage Sites.

https://www.jordanpass.jo/contents/Prices.aspx

Once i reached my hostel and checked myself in the travelling caught up to me and i retired for the day hopeful and excited for a new day. Oh and by the way, I had no idea where I was going tomorrow.

I purchased a ticket just outside the Airport for 3JOD to Amman bus station and from there booked an uber to the city centre to my hostel(approx 4JOD). The first thing my uber driver said to me in the most welcoming smile was “Welcome to Jordan! Do you want a smoke or tea?” I lost count of the number of times i heard the same dialogue throughout my trip with the same smile.

https://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Jordan-Tower-Hostel/Amman/45708

With my stomach full of delicious breakfast put together by the lady at the hostel which was pretty much close to a home cooked meal I left for my day. I decided to take the city bus to Jerash after seeing a picture of it at the reception. Most of the long route buses leave from Amman bus station and leave once the bus is full (it doesn’t take that long to get full).

Amman to Tabarbour Bus Station is a 40 minute drive. I was aquatinted with a French guy on the bus who worked in amman and was headed to Jerash as well so we decided to experience the ruins together.

Once there, if you have a Jordan Pass, you’ll be permitted to enter without buying a ticket or else you’ll have to buy a entry ticket valid for one day for 10JOD. My new friend had a lonely planet book on Jordan so we decided not to hire a guide and decided to wander around at our own pace but you can definitely hire a guide, they’re all extremely professional (and funny), you’ll often hear groups of tourists laughing at something that they said.

Jerash didn’t take long to mesmerize me. Thinking about the countless lives of greco-romans who in the 8th century lived and did mundane tasks at this exact place I was standing.

I wish I could explain in words the feeling of living in a time eons before you actually existed. Time travel maybe? The authenticity of the ruins are well preserved giving the traveler a sense of originality of the Romans and their way of life.

I will share a few pictures with you just to tease you enough but not as many as to preventing you from actually visiting this gem at least once in your lifetime.

Here goes:

This is the main street of the town which passes through a temple, a church, school, theatre for the royals and aristocrats, theatre for the common people, etc.

Ruins of a Fountain on the Main Street. Most of it was ruined due to two major earthquakes but if you see closely you’ll be awestruck by the minute details of this masterpiece.
Are you thinking about how it would look in it’s full glory all those years ago?

The Amphitheater which is a Roman staple all around the world. The Romans loved their entertainment and made sure they did so with no expense spared. This theatre in particular was for the common people, there’s another theatre which was used to entertain the aristocrats. It only gets better than this.

While leaving the bus station we had carried a few bananas, apples, an arabic bread called khubz and a small pack of hummus. We sat on the stairs and ate our lunch with soft wind flowing and the frequent bagpipe played by a man in the theatre, authentic much?

Here is a place where shepherds would get their cattle for grazing. Imagine doing so while looking at this beautiful view! Like i said, Jerash won’t fail to mesmerize you even if it’s to a minuscule extent.

For all that Jerash has to offer, a feeling of belonging, an appreciation for the saved authenticity & a desire to know more about the lives that were lived there were just a glimpse into the captivating beauty that it is.

I left Jerash a happy girl and even happier thinking about what i had accomplished that day,
A true sense of independence.