Ahmed has been guiding visitors through Jerash for fifteen years. He grew up in the town, studied archaeology at the University of Jordan, and returned to show people the city that Rome built in his backyard.
We sat at Lebanese House near the entrance gate (mansaf, JOD 7, excellent) and I asked him what tourists get wrong.
"They skip the RACE show. Every day I see people walk right past the hippodrome to the main gate. They don't know about it, or they think it's a tourist trap. It's the only place in the world where you can watch Roman chariot racing reenactments in an original hippodrome. The arena is 245 meters long, it seated 15,000 people. The show is 45 minutes — chariot races, gladiator demonstrations, legionary drills. JOD 12. Schedule your arrival to catch the 11AM show before exploring the ruins."
"What else do people miss?"
"The Nymphaeum. It's along the Cardo Maximus and most people walk right past it because it looks like just another ruin. But it was an ornate public fountain with a two-story marble facade and a painted half-dome ceiling. The lion-head water spouts are still there. Fifteen seconds of stopping and looking — that's all it takes."
"And the column trick at the Temple of Artemis. The twelve remaining columns are 12 meters tall and they sway in the wind. Insert a key or a spoon in the gap at the column base and you can see the movement. Roman earthquake engineering from 150 AD. Tourists are amazed when I show them this."
"How should someone approach their visit?"
"Start at Hadrian's Arch — it's 400 meters south of the main gate. Most people enter at the gate and miss this 13-meter triumphal arch built in 129 AD to honor Emperor Hadrian's visit. Walk from the arch through the gate and you get the same dramatic approach the ancient visitors experienced."
"Then the Hippodrome and RACE show. Then through the South Gate to the Oval Plaza — there's nothing like it in the Roman world, this unique oval shape with 56 Ionic columns. Walk the Cardo Maximus all the way through. Stop at the Nymphaeum. Climb to the Temple of Artemis for the column trick and the panoramic views. Finish at the North Theater."
"Three to four hours. Don't rush. These stones are 2,000 years old. They can wait."
"Is a guide necessary?"
"I'm biased, obviously. But without a guide, the ruins are just old stones. You'll take photos and move on. A guide gives you 2,000 years of context — who built what, why, what happened to this city after the earthquake of 749 AD that finally ended it. The column trick. The acoustics demonstration in the South Theater — stand in the center of the orchestra pit and clap to hear the echo. You wouldn't know to do that alone."
"Licensed guides at the gate charge JOD 15-25 for two hours. Agree on the price before starting. Look for the official badge."
"Practical advice?"
"Come early. 8AM when the gate opens. By 10AM the tour buses from Amman arrive and the site fills up. In summer, the afternoon heat above 38°C is genuinely dangerous — there's almost no shade."
"Bring at least 1.5 liters of water. Wear a hat. Good walking shoes — the paving stones are uneven. And eat lunch outside the site in Jerash town, not the cafeteria inside. Better food, lower prices."
"What makes Jerash special compared to Roman ruins in Italy or Turkey?"
"Scale and preservation. Pompeii is more famous but it's a residential town — impressive but domestic. Jerash is a monumental civic center with temples, theaters, a hippodrome, and an 800-meter colonnaded street. And because Jordan hasn't had the urban development pressure of Italy, the ruins have been left relatively intact. The chariot ruts in the Cardo pavement — you can trace individual wheel paths from 2,000 years ago."
"People visit Petra and call it the highlight of Jordan. I respect Petra. But Petra is Nabataean. Jerash is Roman. And if you understand Rome, Jerash shows you what a thriving provincial capital at the peak of empire actually looked like."
Ahmed finished his mansaf. The call to prayer drifted from Jerash town. We walked back to the gate, where three tourists were about to walk past the hippodrome.
"Excuse me," he called out. "The show starts in ten minutes. You don't want to miss it."
