Jerash

 

Our first stop in Jordan was Jerash. It's a fair size town just west of  Amman. The ruins of Jerash are what the place is known for. Unfortunately for us, we are at the point we're getting spoilt. After Palmyra and Craq de Chevaliers, it takes more to wow us. Having said that, Jerash was really below par.

 

We stayed at the aptly named Hadrian's Gate Hotel, right across from Hadrian's Gate, pictured below. Although extensively, and visibly, rebuilt, it is still awe-inspiring.

 

 

Just past the gate we found hundreds of pieces from other old structures, some laid side by side to be resurrected later, some seemingly tossed aside. Surely an archeologists' nightmare.

 

 

Looking at the old map, and from reading the descriptions, the hippodrome was able to seat 15,000 at its heyday. Sadly, only a small section of it remains, with the center now filled with sand. We then found out there was a daily "reality show" where gladiators perform hand-to-hand combat for a bunch of paying spectators.

 

 

We actually saw some of these figures, as you can see below.

 

 

Not the best place in the world to stop with anticipation of seeing some beautiful ruins.