City Tour of Amman & Jerash

Departure from your hotel for a city tour of Amman. Visiting the Citadel, one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited places. Here you will see the Umayyad Palace, the Temple of Heracles and the Jordan Archaeological Museum. Continue to the Roman Theatre. Your guide will show you both ancient and modern aspects of the city, both from your vehicle and on foot, exploring and giving you insights into the lesser known and attractive parts of Jordan’s fascinating capital.
Continue northwards from Amman. The drive to Jerash lasts less than an hour. There you will have lunch before visiting the expansive remains of the best preserved of all the ancient Roman Empire’s provincial cities. Jerash was founded in 331 BCE on the orders of Alexander the Great who settled some of his retired Macedonian soldiers there. They and subsequent generations of their descendents, through intermarrying with the women of the region, created a bi-lingual Hellenic-Semitic culture which flourished for many centuries. They built Jerash into one of the finest cities of the broader eastern Mediterranean region. It became one of the league of cities known as the Decapolis, all of which were given special economic, judicial and trading rights when, in BCE 63, they were incorporated into the Roman Empire. Jerash reached its peak during the first and second centuries, CE. The well preserved theatre, the temples and many of the streets as well as the large oval-shaped forum or agora date from this period. The town adopted Christianity early as attested by the remains of numerous churches which were mainly built, many with fine mosaic floors, during the Byzantine period. Walking along the ancient streets of Jerash and discovering the city’s remarkably well preserved remains is sure to be one of the highlights of any visit to Jordan.
Return to your Amman hotel.