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Ajlun and Jerash (Gerasa)
We left Jerash and returned to Amman where we began saying our good-byes and preparing for our return home. We will always remember the wonderful things we have seen in Jordan, and even more the exceptional hospitality of its people. |
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Our
return to the northern part of Jordan began with a brief stop along the banks of
the Jabbok River. The Jabbok is one of the three major wadis or rivers that
divide Jordan into three zones as they flow to the west and into the Jordan
River or Dead Sea. Reverend Cargal led a devotion here about Jacob's wrestling
with the angel on the banks of the Jabbok, refusing to stop until he had
received a blessing from God. This particular spot on the Jabbok is not
traditionally associated with that story, but it is the place that is most
easily accessible from the modern highways.
The
first extended stop of the day was in the town of Ajlun, the site of a Muslim
fortress from the period of the crusades and built by the brother of Salah
ad-Din. The castle is known as Qalat ar-Rabad. About half our group had visited
with the Rabadi family earlier in our trip whose name reflects the family's
history in the region. The castle appears to have been constructed on what was
possibly an earlier Christian monastic site. There is not a small bit of rival
history about the castle between Christians and Muslims in the region, the
Christians arguing that it was originally built by Christian monks and
Crusaders, and Muslims favoring identifying its origins in connection with Salah
ad-Din. We wandered through the restored corridors, its small museum (that
includes donations from the Khouri family), and enjoyed the views from the top
of the fortress.
The
final site of our tour was the Greco-Roman city of Jerash, or Gerasa (as it was
known when it was part of the league of the Decapolis). Jerash is the most
extensively restored Roman city anywhere in the Middle East. The most impressive
features of the city are its temples to Zeus and to Artemis (the patron of the
city), the large oval plaza, and its well preserved theater. There are also
remains of three churches that were constructed side-by-side during the
Byzantine period. The largest was dedicated to Cosmos and Damianus, and the two
neighboring churches were dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. George,
respectively.
A
highlight of our visit to Jerash was the time we spent in the theater. While
there we were treated to a drum and pipes--bagpipes, that is--concert that
included "Yankee Doodle Dandy." The architecture of the theater is
designed in such a a precise way that a person standing at the center point of
the orchestra can be heard throughout the 3,000 seat structure while speaking in
just a normal voice. The circles you can see below the seats in the picture at
the right are part of the system. They help to collect the sound from the
orchestra and channel it around the theater.