Jerash is the most beautiful heritage site of Jordan. I liked it even better than Petra.

True Rachelle – it is fun to walk if the Sun is a bit benevolent. There is a market there so I guess you can shop at will there.

Thanks Sudha.

I also saw Roman Baths in Bath UK, but then they are just Baths and not really a whole city.

Honestly, none of the pictures do justice to Jerash. Specially mine because we went at perfectly wrong time for photography. It is also one of the sights where no camera can match the scale of human eye.

Do you want to plan a Roman holiday? Am Game.

The only Roman remains I have seen are in the United Kingdom and they are, of course, not the best specimens of their architecture. I have seen many photographs, yours included, of Jerash and have never failed to be awed by them.

It’s a shame about the heat and the timing of your visit. That’s what second visits are for. Take me along when you go 🙂

Bhaven, I was bowled over by the hospitality of the people on the street and in Bedouin Tents. Jerash was a total surprise for me, and will remain my most cherished memory of Jordan.

Will read Aditya, before I travel to the next Roman city. What you say makes a lot of sense…it does appear to be an open space for public rituals.

In the Roman Empire, these forums used to be kind of the city centre or CBD– Roman Forum (Foro Romano) in Rome for example was the main activity centre of Rome, and had the Senate, the public speaking podium (where Julius Caesar, for example, used to make his speeches from, and from where the famous Brutus, Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) speeches were made from), the most important temples (including the ones in which the main priests would study the entrails of the sacrifices and make the prediction of the day) etc were. The Roman Forum is just next to the main ampitheatre– the Colosseum where the public events used to be, the main baths and a few markets. The commemoration arches are also very close to the Roman Forum. Look at a map of Ancient Rome and it would be very clear to you. I have seen very similar planning with the forum at the centre of a city’s main activity in the ancient sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum (Ercolano) [Pompeii being a huge site, has a few mini fourms as well, which I guess were places for congregation]. I would think, if you looked at the geography of ancient Jerash, you might find a similar planning with the Oval Forum at the centre of activity with the major temples, and activity (offices, ampitheatre etc) surrounding it.