Jordan Day 2: From Amman to Jerash

Thursday April 26th.          Amman, Jordan.

`Travelling opens your mind and your heart.``  I read this recently and I agree with it. Traveling to other places with different cultures and traditions and religions can give a perspective to issues in the world. It is not that one is better than the other, or that to honor ours we must condemn others. Rather, it is to gain a better understanding of others` beliefs.

In that spirit, we donned our head scarves and long dark robes and silently entered one of the largest mosques in Amman, King Abdullah`s Mosque. It is vast and open. One large open room where the worshippers can enter and silently kneel in prayer.  How can that be intimidating or frightening?

We head on to the Citadel.. Even though I visited yesterday, the rest of the group had not so we set out to explore it some more. Eagerly trying out a new lens I purchased for the trip, I set about looking for new things to see, or new ways to see familiar sites.

From here we board our bus and head to the ancient city of Jerash, an important historic and archeological centre. Here history dates back to biblical times but the ruins we are exploring date back  two thousand years or so to the time of the Roman Empire and the Emperor Hadrian. However, the city itself was earlier settled  by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. Archeological remains date back even further to the Bronze Age 2500 BC. It was an important centre, called a Decapolis. It is believed only about 20% of the city has been excavated so far and it is surprisingly large and intact.

It has turned cloudy and cool and the weather is ominous. Before long it starts to drizzle and then lightly rain.But we forge on...

We begin by entering through Hadrian's Arch, a massive and beautiful gate that is the entry into the city.

 We pass by the hippodrome where chariot races would have been held. From there we wander through the Forum, a large oval paved with stone and surrounded by towering Ionic pillars.








Stone-paved walks branch off toward the various area of the complex.



A long colonnade leads toward the Basilica and temple.

 Throughout the site there are many impressive structures like The Temple of Zues, The Temple of Artemis, and three theatres.

 The Triumphal Arch.

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The Cathedral

The Temple of Artemis

The Theatre

The Temple of Zeus

Finally, we are just too wet and chilled. We head indoors for a hot cup of tea and a little souvenir shopping before we head back to Amman.

Sorry to bore you with the history lesson.... but it does not cease to amaze me as I wander through civilizations that exhibited such sophistication and beauty thousands of years ago.

Come With Me.... as we explore some of the more fun part of Amman and head toward the waters of the Dead Sea.