Yago is travelling: Jarash and Ajlun

Today was the time to look at some of the historical places in Jordan and as the places we were planning on visiting weren't too far away from Amman, Isabel decided to join us and enjoy the day out with Maria and myself.

First we went to Jarash (also spelled Jerash). This is the site of the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa.

Jarash is considered one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Middle East.

Among the things you can find in this city are:

More Corinthian columns that you've seen in your life.
The Hadrian's Arch
The circus/hippodrome
2 Temples, one dedicated to Zeus and another to Artemis
The nearly unique oval Forum, which is surrounded by a fine colonnade,
A long colonnaded street
Two theatres (the Large South Theatre and a smaller North Theatre)
Two baths
An almost complete circuit of city walls.

Below is a general map of the area

The main entrance to the city is via the Hadrian's Arch (top left on the map right before the hippodrome)

This is one of the known largest arches in the Roman Empire.

The hippodrome is the smallest known hippodrome in the Roman Empire although it is the best preserved.

The horses would start the race from those arches at the end.

It's 165m long and 50m wide and could host up to 17,000 people.

The temple of Zeus

Temple of Artemis

The forum

The colonnaded street

The South Theatre

Maria and Isabel by the main door

The North Teatre

While we were here in this smaller Theatre a guy with a pipe, dressed in arab just popped in and started playing some Scottish music
Completely surreal !!!

Then... as if that wasn't enough... another guy came in and started playing a drum...

Impossible to make that up!!!

There were also three churches with some interesting mosaics

Then it was time to eat so we went to a Lebanese restaurant that either Isabel or Maria knew about. I can't remember whose idea it was but what I do remember is how good it was. :-)

At the parking they even put a blanket on the windscreen so the car wouldn't get too hot

The bread... amazing!!!

Some humous while we waited for the food

And I was too hungry to take pictures of the food... O:-) Sooorrry....

Then in the afternoon it was time to visit Ajlun castle, place of a very impressive Saracen castle built to protect the country against crusader's attacks from Al Karak

All the windows had arrowslits

Due to its location, the views allow to control the nearby valleys, Wadi Kufranjah, Wadi Rajeb and Wadi al-Yabes which controlled the routes from South Jordan to Syria.

Also, this castle had what they call machicoulation which is a whole on the ground leading to a lower level from which the defenders of the castle could pour boiling oil to the attackers underneath.

Those wholes you see on the below picture are precisely that