Editing Jerash

{{Short description | City in Jerash Governorate, Jordan }}
{{redirect|Gerasa|the ancient city in Judaea|Gerasa (Judaea)}}
{{Distinguish|Jarash, Jerusalem}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name       = Jerash
|native_name         = {{lang|ar|جرش}}
|other_name          = Gerasa
|settlement_type     = City
|image_skyline       = Oval Plaza (Forum Romanum, Gerasa - Jerash, Jordan) - ساحة الندوة, جرش.jpg
|imagesize           = 300px
|image_caption       = The [[Greco-Roman world|Greco-Roman]] city of Gerasa and the modern Jerash in the background.
|image_flag =
|flag_size =
|image_seal =
|seal_size =
|nickname            = {{unbulleted list|Pompeii of the East|The city of 1000 columns}}
|pushpin_map         = Jordan
|pushpin_label_position =
|coordinates         = {{coord|32|16|50|N|35|53|50|E|region:JO|display=title,inline}}
|grid_position       =  234/187
|subdivision_type    = Country
|subdivision_name    = {{flag|Jordan}}
|subdivision_type1   = [[Governorates of Jordan|Governorate]]
|subdivision_name1   = [[Jerash Governorate]]
|established_title   = Founded <!-- Settled -->
|established_date    = 7500 – 5500&nbsp;BC
|established_title1  = Municipality established <!-- Settled -->
|established_date1   = 1910
|government_footnotes =
|government_type     = Municipality
|leader_title        = Mayor
|leader_name = 
|leader_title1       =  <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
|leader_name1 =
|area_metro_km2 =
|area_metro_sq_mi =
|elevation_m         = 600
|elevation_ft        = 1968
|population_total    = city (50745), Municipality (237,000 est)
|population_as_of    = 2015
|population_footnotes =<ref name="city population" />
|population_metro =
|area_code           = +(962)2
|website             = {{website|http://www.jerash.gov.jo}}
|<!-- Politics -look who it is gonna have s gresatdkfidhfdjhfdfhdifhdskfnlfflskd---------------->
|timezone            = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]] +2
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'''Jerash''' ({{langx|ar|جرش|Ǧaraš}}; {{langx|grc|Γέρασα|label=[[Greek language|Greek]]|Gérasa}}, {{IPA|grc-x-attic|ɡérasa|link=yes}}, {{IPA|grc-x-koine|ˈɡerasa|link=yes}}) is a city in northern [[Jordan]]. The city is the administrative center of the [[Jerash Governorate]], and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located 30.0 miles north of the capital city [[Amman]].

The earliest evidence of settlement in Jerash is in a Neolithic site known as Tal Abu Sowan, where rare human remains dating to around 7500 BC were uncovered.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Jordan|last=Bell|first=Brian|publisher=APA Publications (HK) Limited|year=1994|pages=184|oclc = 30858851}}</ref> Jerash flourished during the Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, when it was known as Gerasa. It was one of the cities of the Hellenistic cities of the [[Decapolis]].<ref name="CA">''The New Century Classical Handbook''; Catherine Avery, editor; Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1962, p.  495: "'''Gerasa'''... (Modern name: '''Jerash'''.) In ancient geography, a city of the Decapolis, in Palestine, about 56 miles NE of Jerusalem... The forum, which is oval and 300 feet long, is surrounded by a range of Ionic columns... A theater has 28 tiers of seats still remaining above ground... A smaller theater on the same site is equally perfect and interesting. Gerasa was important in the early Christian period, and the early churches, incorporated in pagan temples and other structures, are important for understanding the development of church architecture and the history of the early church."</ref> It was an important city in early Christian times and its early churches, some of which were formerly temples, include notable examples of the evolution of church architecture.<ref name="CA"/> In the mid-eighth century the [[749 Galilee earthquake]] destroyed large parts of it, and subsequent earthquakes contributed to additional destruction.

In 1120, [[Toghtekin|Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus]] ordered a garrison of forty men to build up a fort in an unknown site of the ruins of the ancient city, likely the highest spot of the city walls in the north-eastern hills. It was captured in 1121 by [[Baldwin II of Jerusalem|Baldwin II]], [[King of Jerusalem]], and utterly destroyed.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Middle East: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran|last=Boulanger|first=Robert|date=1965|publisher=Hachette|location=Paris|pages=541, 542|language=en|oclc = 1601668}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=A wargamers' guide to the Crusades.|last=Heath|first=Ian|date=1980|pages=133|language=en|oclc = 641902238}}</ref> The Crusaders immediately abandoned Jerash and withdrew to [[Sakib]] (Seecip); the eastern border of the settlement.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last1=Brooker|first1=Colin H.|last2=Knauf|first2=Ernst Axel|date=1988|title=Review of Crusader Institutions|jstor=27931345|journal=Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins|volume=104|pages=184–188}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Studies in the archaeology of the medieval Mediterranean|last=Schryver|first=James G|date=2010|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004181755|location=Leiden [Netherlands]; Boston|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5omIAAonBF0C&q=Jerash%2FGerasa+conquered+1121+immediately+abandoned&pg=PA86 86]|language=en|oclc = 643081873}}</ref>

Jerash was then deserted and reappeared in the historical record at the beginning of Ottoman rule in the area during the early 16th century. In the census of 1596, it had a population of 12 [[Muslim]] households.<ref name=HA164/> However, archaeologists found a small [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] hamlet in the Northwest Quarter<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://jordantimes.com/news/local/archaeologists-studying-post-quake-gap-jerash-history|title=Archaeologists studying a post-quake gap in Jerash history|date=7 April 2016|work=Jordan Times|access-date=2017-06-07}}</ref> which indicates that Jerash was resettled before the Ottoman era. The excavations conducted since 2011 have shed light on the Middle Islamic period as recent discoveries have uncovered a large concentration of Middle Islamic/Mamluk structures and pottery.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Peterson|first=Alex|title=Medieval Pottery from Jerash: The Middle Islamic Settlement|url=https://www.academia.edu/31628412|journal=Gerasa/Jerash: From the Urban Periphery|date=February 2017 |language=en}}</ref> The ancient city has been gradually revealed through a series of excavations since 1925.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism3.html#Jerash|title=Touristic Sites – Jerash|website=www.kinghussein.gov.jo}}</ref>

Jerash today is home to one of the best preserved Greco-Roman cities, which earned it the nickname "[[Pompeii]] of the Middle East".<ref>{{Citation |title=Pompeii of the Middle East: Roman Jerash |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVc8s18dPUw |access-date=2023-09-06 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/exploring-petra-and-other-archaeological-wonders-of-jordan/ |title=Exploring Petra and other archaeological wonders of Jordan |work=The Seattle Times |date=16 February 2018 |last=Meyer |first=Norma |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref><!--also mentioned in much older sources--> Approximately 330,000 visitors arrived in Jerash in 2018, making it one of the most visited sites in Jordan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mota.gov.jo/Contents/statistics_2018.aspx|title=Statistics|work=mota|access-date=5 November 2019|date=1 January 2018}}</ref> The city hosts the [[Jerash Festival]], one of the leading cultural events in the Middle East that attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jordantimes.com/news/local/32nd-jerash-festival-begins|title=32nd Jerash festival begins|work=The Jordan Times|access-date=4 November 2019|date=21 July 2017}}</ref>

==History==
===Neolithic age===
[[File:Place ovale de Gerasa new.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|The Oval Forum and Cardo Maximus in ancient Jerash]]
Archaeologists have found ruins of settlements dating back to the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Age]]. Moreover, in August 2015, an archaeological excavation team from the [[University of Jordan]] unearthed two human skulls that date back to the [[Neolithic|Neolithic period]] (7500–5500 BC) at a site in Jerash. This forms solid evidence of inhabitance of Jordan in that period, especially in connection with the existence of [[Ayn Ghazal (archaeological site)|'Ain Ghazal]] Neolithic settlement in [[Amman]]. The importance of the discovery lies in the rarity of the skulls, as archaeologists estimate that a maximum of 12 sites across the world contain similar human remains.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/two-human-skulls-dating-back-neolithic-period-unearthed-jerash#sthash.azr7NUTn.dpuf|title=Two human skulls dating back to Neolithic period unearthed in Jerash|date=15 August 2015|access-date=24 November 2016}}</ref>

===Bronze Age===
Evidence of settlements dating to the [[Bronze Age]] (3200–1200&nbsp;BC) have been found in the region.<ref>{{cite book|last1=McGovern|first1=Patrick E.|last2=Brown|first2=Robin|title=Late Bronze & Early Iron Ages of Central|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9sNZInKl2Y0C|year=1986|publisher=UPenn Museum of Archaeology|isbn=978-0-934718-75-2|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=9sNZInKl2Y0C&dq=jerash+%22bronze+age%22&pg=PA6 6]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Nigro|first=Lorenzo|title=An Early Bronze Age Fortified Town in North-Central Jordan. Preliminary Report of the First Season of Excavations (2005)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1xKUi-AogmEC|year=2008|publisher=Lorenzo Nigro|isbn=978-88-88438-05-4|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=1xKUi–AogmEC&pg=PA52&dq=jerash+%22bronze+age%22 52]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Steiner|first1=Margreet L.|last2=Killebrew|first2=Ann E.|title=The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant: c. 8000–332 BCE|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d_Z0AgAAQBAJ|year=2014|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-166255-3|chapter=Main Settlements of the North Jordan Uplands|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d_Z0AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT473}}</ref>

===Hellenistic period===
Jerash is the site of the ruins of the Greek city of '''Gerasa''', also referred to as '''Antioch on the Golden River'''.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Cities of the Classical World: An Atlas and Gazetteer of 120 Centres of Ancient Civilization|last=McEvedy|first=Colin|publisher=Penguin|year=2011|isbn=978-0141967639|location=UK}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> Ancient Greek inscriptions from the city support that the city was founded by [[Alexander the Great]] and his general [[Perdiccas]], who allegedly settled aged [[Ancient Macedonians|Macedonian]] soldiers there during the spring of 331 BC, when he left Egypt and crossed Syria en route to [[Mesopotamia]]. However, other sources, namely the city's former name of "Antioch on the Chrysorrhoas," point to a founding by [[Seleucid]] King [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes|Antioch IV]], while still others attribute the founding to [[Ptolemy II]] of [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Egypt]].<ref name="Mashriq">{{cite web|title=Jerash - A Brief History|url=http://almashriq.hiof.no/jordan/900/930/jerash/jerash.html|website=المشرق|access-date=7 March 2018}}</ref>

In the early 80s BC [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean]] king [[Alexander Jannaeus]] besieged and conquered Gerasa, incorporating it into the Kingdom of Judea. Archeological findings indicate that public buildings in Gerasa may have been destroyed during that period.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Guy MacLean |title=For the Freedom of Zion: the Great Revolt of Jews against Romans, 66-74 CE |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-300-24813-5 |location=New Haven |pages=155, 157, 171, 538}}</ref>  

[[File:Ancient and Modern jerash.jpg|thumb|left|Ancient Jerash against the backdrop of the modern city]]

===Roman period===
[[File:Jerash - colonnaded street.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3| Colonnaded Street]]

With the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] conquest of the area in 63 BC, the short-lived Jewish rule of Gerasa came to an end.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Starr |first=Joshua |date=1934 |title=A New Jewish Source for Gerasa |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3259883 |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=167–169 |doi=10.2307/3259883 |jstor=3259883 |issn=0021-9231|url-access=subscription }}</ref> [[Pompey]] attached the city to the [[Decapolis]], a league of Hellenistic cities that enjoyed considerable autonomy under Roman protection. The historian [[Josephus]] mentions the city as being principally inhabited by Syrians, and also having a small [[Jews|Jewish]] community.<ref>Josephus, ''De Bello Judaico'' ([[Wars of the Jews]]) II, 457 (''Wars of the Jews'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D2%3Asection%3D457 2.18.1]) and ''De Bello Judaico'' (Wars of the Jews) II, 477 (''Wars of the Jews'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D2%3Asection%3D477 2.18.5].</ref><ref name=":5" /> During the [[First Jewish–Roman War]], Gerasa was among the few non-Jewish cities in the region not to kill or imprison its Jewish residents, and its residents even escorted any Jews who wanted to leave to the border.<ref name=":4" /> 

Gerasa was the birthplace of the mathematician [[Nicomachus]] of Gerasa ({{langx|el|Νικόμαχος}}) ({{Circa|60|120 AD}}).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Taran|first1=L.|editor1-last=Gillispie|editor1-first=Charles C.|title=Dictionary of Scientific Biography|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofscie04gill|chapter-url-access=registration|date=1970|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|location=New York|edition=1st|chapter=Nicomachus of Gerasa|isbn=9780684101149}}</ref> It has been proposed to identify it as Geresh, a place mentioned by Josephus as the birthplace of Jewish [[Zealots|Zealot]] leader [[Simon bar Giora]], but other scholars identify it with modern-day [[Jurish]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name="Klein2009">Klein, E, 2009, "Jewish Settlement in the Toparchy of Acraba during the Second Temple Period - The Archaeological Evidence", in: Y. Eshel (ed.), Judea and Samaria Research Studies, Volume 18, Ariel, pp. 177-200 (Hebrew).</ref>

In the second half of the 1st century AD, the city of Gerasa achieved great prosperity. In AD 106, Geras was absorbed into the Roman province of [[Arabia (province)|Arabia]], which included the cities of [[Philadelphia (Amman)|Philadelphia]] (modern day [[Amman]]), [[Petra]] and [[Bostra]]. The Romans ensured security and peace in this area, which enabled its people to devote their efforts and time to economic development and encouraged civic building activity.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Borgia |first1=E. |title=Jordan: Past and Present: Petra, Jerash, Amman |date=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford}}</ref> Emperor [[Trajan]] constructed roads throughout the province, and more trade came to Jerash. Emperor [[Hadrian]] visited Gerasa in AD 129–130, and the triumphal arch known as the [[Arch of Hadrian (Jerash)|Arch of Hadrian]] was built to celebrate this occasion.<ref name="Mashriq" />

===Byzantine period===
[[File:Thedecapolis.png|thumb|upright|Map of the Decapolis showing the location of Gerasa (Jerash)]]

The city finally reached a size of about {{cvt|80|ha}} within its walls.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bryce|first1=Trevor|title=Atlas of the Ancient Near East: From Prehistoric Times to the Roman Imperial Period|date=2016|publisher=Routledge|location=Abingdon|isbn=9781317562092}}</ref> Beneath the foundations of a Byzantine church built in Gerasa in AD 530  a mosaic floor was discovered with ancient Greek and [[Hebrew]]-[[Aramaic]] inscriptions. The presence of the Hebrew-Aramaic script has led scholars to suggest that the place was a synagogue converted into a church.<ref>Samuel Klein, ''Sefer ha-Yishuv'', vol. 1, Jerusalem 1939, p. 34 and folio "chet" on pp. 40–41, and which inscription reads: '''שלום על כל ישראל אמן סלה פינחס בר ברוך יוסה בר שמואל וי(ו)דן בר חזקיה'''; Crowfoot-Hamilton, "The Discovery of a Synagogue at Jerash": ''[[Palestine Exploration Fund|PEF]]'', Quarterly Statement, 1929; Sukenik, Note on the Aramaic; A. Barrois, ''Découverte d’une synagogue à Djérash'', Rev. Bibl. 39 (1930), p. 261. pl. xi p. 259 (pl. ix)</ref> Gerasa was invaded by the [[Persians|Persian]] [[Sassanids]] in AD 614. In 636, the Byzantine army was defeated in the [[Battle of the Yarmuk]] by the invading Muslim forces and these territories became part of the [[Rashidun Caliphate]].

===Umayyad period===
The city flourished during the [[Umayyad Caliphate]]. It had numerous shops and issued coins with the mint named "Jerash" in Arabic. It was also a centre for ceramic manufacture; molded ceramic lamps had Arabic inscriptions that showed the potter's name and Jerash as the place of manufacture. The large mosque and several churches that continued to be used as places of worship, indicated that during the Umayyad period Jerash had a sizable Muslim community that co-existed with the Christians.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;jo;Mon01;14;en|title=Jarash (Gerasa) in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2017|last=Bisheh|first=Ghazi|date=2017|website=www.discoverislamicart.org}}</ref> In 749, a devastating earthquake destroyed much of Jerash and its surroundings.

===Crusader period===
In the early 12th century a fortress was built by a garrison stationed in the area by the [[Toghtekin|Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus]]. [[Baldwin II of Jerusalem|Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem]], captured and burned the fortress in 1121–1122. Although the site of the fortification has often been identified with the ruins of the temple of Artemis, there is no evidence of the construction of a fortification in the temple in the 12th century. The location of this fort is probably to be found at the highest point of the city walls, in the north-eastern hills.<ref>{{Citation |title=Guglielmo di Tiro e il castrum di Gerasa, ''Prospettive Settanta'', 5|last=Pierobon|first=Raffaella|date=1983|pages=8–13}}</ref>

===Mid to Late Muslim period===
Small settlements continued in Jerash during the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk Sultanate]], and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] periods. This occurred particularly in the Northwest Quarter and around the Temple of Zeus, where several Islamic [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk]] domestic structures have now been excavated.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

In 1596, during the Ottoman era, Jerash was noted in the  [[Defter|census]] as ''Jaras'', being located  in the ''[[nahiya]]'' of ''Bani Ilwan'' in the ''[[Liwa (Arabic)|liwa]]'' of  [[Ajloun]]. It had a population of 12 [[Islam|Muslim]] households.  They paid a fixed tax-rate of 25%  on various  agricultural products, including wheat, barley, olive trees/fruit trees, goats and beehives, in addition to  occasional revenues and a press for olive oil/grape syrup; a total of  6,000 [[akçe]].<ref name=HA164>Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 164</ref>

In 1838 Jerash was described as a ruin.<ref>[[Eli Smith|Smith]], in Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. [https://archive.org/stream/biblicalresearch03robiuoft#page/167/mode/1up 167]</ref>

==Climate==
Jerash has a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa'').
{{Weather box
|location = Jerash, Jordan (648M)
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan high C = 12.9	
|Feb high C = 14.3
|Mar high C = 17.2
|Apr high C = 22.2
|May high C = 27.3	
|Jun high C = 30.2
|Jul high C = 31.3
|Aug high C = 31.4
|Sep high C = 30.0
|Oct high C = 26.7
|Nov high C = 21	
|Dec high C = 14.7
|year high C = 23.3
|Jan low C = 4.1
|Feb low C = 4.8
|Mar low C = 6.6
|Apr low C = 10.1	
|May low C = 14	
|Jun low C = 16.9	
|Jul low C = 18.7
|Aug low C = 19.1	
|Sep low C = 17.2
|Oct low C = 14
|Nov low C = 9.5	
|Dec low C = 5.6
|year low C = 11.72
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 92
|Feb precipitation mm = 91
|Mar precipitation mm = 66	
|Apr precipitation mm = 19
|May precipitation mm = 5	
|Jun precipitation mm = 0
|Jul precipitation mm = 0	
|Aug precipitation mm = 0	
|Sep precipitation mm = 0	
|Oct precipitation mm = 7
|Nov precipitation mm = 38
|Dec precipitation mm = 75	
|year precipitation mm = 393
|source 1 = climate Data<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/28006/
| publisher = Climate-Data|title = CLIMATE: Jerash |access-date = 2017-07-19}}</ref>
}}

==Archaeology==
Jerash is considered one of the largest and most well-preserved sites of Greek and Roman architecture in the world outside Italy.<ref name=":3" />
===Greco-Roman period===
[[File:Jerash Nymphaeum.jpg|thumb|The Jerash [[nymphaeum]].]]
Remains in the Greco-Roman Gerasa include:
* Oval [[Forum (Roman)|forum]] 300 feet long surrounded by an [[Ionic order|Ionic]] colonnade<ref name="CA"/>
* Two large sanctuaries dedicated to [[Artemis]] and [[Zeus]] with well preserved temples
* Two theatres<ref name="CA"/> (the South Theatre and the North Theatre)
* The long colonnaded street or ''[[cardo]]'' and its side streets or [[Decumanus Maximus|''decumani'']]
* Two [[tetrapyla of Jerash]], one at the intersection of northern-decumanus and cardo maximus and the other at the intersection of southern-Decumanus and cardo maximus<ref name="madaintetrapyla">{{cite web |title=Jerash Tetrapyla |url=https://madainproject.com/jerash_tetrapyla |website=Madain Project |access-date=8 April 2020}}</ref>
* [[Arch of Hadrian (Jerash)|Arch of Hadrian]]
* The ''circus'' / [[hippodrome]]
* Two major [[thermae]] ([[communal bath]]s complexes)
* A large [[nymphaeum]] fed by an [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]]
* A [[macellum]] or porticoed market
* A trapezoidal plaza delimited by two open-exedra buildings
* An almost complete circuit of [[city wall]]s
* Two large bridges across the nearby river
* An extramural sanctuary with large pools and a small theatre.

Most of these monuments were built by donations of the city's wealthy citizens. The south theatre has a focus in the center of the pit in front of the stage, marked by a distinct stone, and from which normal speaking can be heard easily throughout the [[auditorium]]. In 2018, at least 14 marble sculptures were discovered in the excavation of the Eastern Baths of Gerasa, including images of [[Aphrodite]] and [[Zeus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.archaeology.org/news/7012-181004-jerash-roman-sculptures|title=Roman Statues Unearthed in Jordan|work=Archaeology|date=4 October 2018}}</ref>

===Late Roman and Early Byzantine period===
A large Christian community lived in Jerash. A large cathedral was built in the city in the 4th century, the first of at least 14 churches built between the 4th and the 7th-century, many with superb mosaic floors.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McElroy|first=Ian Elliot|date=2021-01-02|title=Constructed contrasts and manipulated experiences: the cathedral at Gerasa and its relationship with the adjacent Temple of Artemis complex|journal=Levant|language=en|volume=53|issue=1|pages=92–106|doi=10.1080/00758914.2021.1935096|issn=0075-8914|doi-access=free}}</ref> The supposed sawmill of Gerasa is well described in the Visitors Centre. The use of water power to saw wood or stone is well known in the Roman world: the invention occurred in the 3rd century BC. They converted the rotary movement from the mill into a linear motion using a [[crankshaft]]; good examples are known also from [[Hierapolis]] and [[Ephesus]].

== Archaeological museums ==
The archaeological site of Jerash has two museums in which are displayed archaeological materials and corresponding information about the site and its rich history. The [[Jerash Archaeological Museum]], which is the older of the two museums, is found on top of the mound known as "Camp Hill" just east of the Cardo and overlooking the Oval Plaza. The small museum contains a chronological display of artifacts found in and around Jerash from prehistoric to Islamic times. The museum displays a unique group of small statues of a group identified as [[Muses|the Muses]] of the Olympic pantheon which were discovered at Jerash in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-10-31|title=Unearthed Graeco-Roman statues unveiled in Jerash|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/unearthed-graeco-roman-statues-unveiled-jerash|access-date=2020-06-13|website=Jordan Times|language=en}}</ref> The statues, which are Roman in date, were found in a fragmentary condition and have been partially restored. The museum also contains a well-preserved lead sarcophagus dated to the late 4th to 5th centuries and features Christian and pagan symbolism.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Al Buruni|first=Bilal|date=2019-12-15|title=Bilal Al Burini's Conservation Efforts of the Jerash Sarcophagus|url=https://www.acorjordan.org/2019/12/15/bilal-sauer-2019/|access-date=2020-06-13|website=Acor Jordan|language=en-US}}</ref> The museum also has a number of sculptures, altars, and mosaics displayed outside. 
[[File:Julia Domna marble head at Jerash.jpg|thumb|A sculpted marble head of an elite woman with a hairstyle commonly associated with [[Julia Domna]], wife of the Roman Emperor [[Septimius Severus]]. This late 2nd/ early 3rd century head, made from marble from Turkey, was found in the 2016 excavations of the Eastern Roman Baths at Jerash, Jordan and is displayed in the Jerash Visitor Center.]]
The Jerash Visitor Center serves as a more recent archaeological museum, and presents the site of Jerash in a thematic approach with a focus on the evolution and development of the city of Jerash over time, as well as economy, technology, religion, and daily life. The center also displays further sculptures discovered in Jerash in 2016, including restored statues of [[Zeus]] and [[Aphrodite]], as well as a marble head thought to represent the Roman Empress [[Julia Domna]].

==Modern Jerash==
[[File:Arch of Hadrian (Gerasa, Jerash; Jordan) - قوس هادريان (جرش).jpg|thumb|The [[Arch of Hadrian (Jerash)|Arch of Hadrian]] was built to honour the visit of Emperor [[Hadrian]] to Gerasa in 129/130&nbsp;AD.|alt=Looking North, a large stone arch can be seen, bathed by the light of the sun on the golden stone. It has many decorative features, and a smaller arch on each side of the central one.]]

[[Image:Oval plaza in Jerash.jpg|thumb|The oval [[Forum (Roman)|Forum]] ]]

Jerash has developed dramatically in the last century with the growing importance of the tourism industry in the city. Jerash is now the second-most popular tourist attraction in Jordan, closely behind the ruins of [[Petra]]. On the western side of the city, which contained most of the representative buildings, the ruins have been carefully preserved and spared from encroachment, with the modern city sprawling to the east of the river which once divided ancient Jerash in two.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jerash|url=http://international.visitjordan.com/Wheretogo/Jerash.aspx|website=Visit Jordan|publisher=Jordan Tourism Board|access-date=7 March 2018|archive-date=3 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003050629/http://international.visitjordan.com/Wheretogo/Jerash.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Demographics===
Jerash has an ethnically diverse population. The vast majority are Arabs, though the population includes small numbers of Kurds, [[Circassians]] and Armenians.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Jerash Case Study |url=https://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/pdf_publications/pdf/jarash_case_study2.pdf |journal=Getty Publications}}</ref> 

Jerash became a destination for many successive waves of foreign migrants. In 1885, the Ottoman authorities directed the Circassian immigrants who were mainly of peasant stock to settle in Jerash, and distributed arable land among them.<ref name="Mashriq" /> The new immigrants have been welcomed by the local people. Later, Jerash also witnessed waves of Palestinian refugees who flowed to the region in 1948 and 1967. The [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] refugees settled in two camps; Souf camp near the town of [[Souf]] and Gaza (Jerash) camp at Al Ḩaddādah village.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jerash Refugee Camp|url=https://www.unrwa.org/ar/where-we-work/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86/%D9%85%D8%AE%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%B4-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%86|publisher=UNRWA|access-date=7 March 2018|language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Souf Refugee Camp|url=https://www.unrwa.org/ar/where-we-work/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86/%D9%85%D8%AE%D9%8A%D9%85-%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%81-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A6%D9%8A%D9%86|publisher=UNRWA|access-date=7 March 2018|language=ar}}</ref>

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 3,796 inhabitants in Jerash,<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p13.pdf 13]</ref> of whom 270 were Christians.<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-pp115-116.pdf 116]</ref>

According to the Jordan national census of 2004, the population of the city was 31,650 and was ranked as the 14th largest municipality in Jordan. According to the last national census in 2015, the population of the city was 50,745, while the population of the [[Jerash Governorate|governorate]] was 237,059.<ref name="city population">{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/Jordan-Cities.html|title=Jordan: Governorates, Major Cities & Urban Localities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=www.citypopulation.de|access-date=30 May 2018}}</ref>

==Culture and entertainment==
[[File:Jerash Festival 2018 15.jpg|thumb|right|Men dressed as Roman and Greek soldiers during the [[Jerash Festival]]]]

Since 1981, the old city of Jerash has hosted the [[Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jerashfestival.jo|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415032357/http://www.jerashfestival.jo/|url-status=dead|title=Jerash Festival Of Culture & Arts مهرجان جرش للثقافة والفنون|archivedate=15 April 2012}}</ref> a three-week-long summer program of dance, music, and theatrical performances.

Performances of the Roman Army and Chariot Experience (RACE) at the hippodrome in Jerash feature forty-five [[Roman legion|legionaries]] in full armor in a display of Roman army drill and battle tactics, ten [[gladiator]]s fighting "to the death" and several Roman chariots competing in a classical seven-lap race around the ancient hippodrome.

==Education==
Jerash has two universities: [[Jerash Private University]] and [[Philadelphia University (Jordan)|Philadelphia University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jpu.edu.jo|title=Jerash Private University|access-date=24 November 2016}}</ref>

==Tourism==
The number of tourists who visited the ancient city of Jerash reached 214,000 during 2005. The number of non-Jordanian tourists was 182,000 last year, and the sum of entry charges reached JD900,000.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|457494325}} |title=Jerash tourism figures reviewed |work=Info – Prod Research (Middle East) 
|date=5 January 2006 |page=1 }}</ref> The [[Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts]] is an annual celebration of Arabic and international culture during the summer months. Jerash is located 48&nbsp;km north of the capital city of Amman. The festival site is located within the ancient ruins of Jerash, some of which date to the Roman age (63 BC).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schneider |first1=Ingrid |last2=Sönmez |first2=Sevil |title=Exploring the touristic image of Jordan |journal=Tourism Management |date=August 1999 |volume=20 |issue=4 |pages=539–542 |doi=10.1016/S0261-5177(99)00023-0 |url=http://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/S_Sonmez_Exploring_1999.pdf }}</ref> The Jerash Festival is a festival which features poetry recitals, theatrical performances, concerts and other forms of art.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|855638491}} |title=Jerash Festival to be revived |work=Jordan Times |location=Amman |date=7 March 2011 }}</ref> In 2008, authorities launched the Jordan Festival, a nationwide theme-oriented event under which the Jerash Festival became a component.<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|872459474}} |title=Jerash Festival slated to open July 20 |work=McClatchy - Tribune Business News |date=19 June 2011 }}</ref> However, the government revived the Jerash Festival as the "substitute (Jordan Festival) proved to be not up to the message intended from the festival."<ref name="saha_صحفي">{{Cite web | title = صحفي - Jerash Festival slated to open July 20 | work = sahafi.jo | access-date = 2018-05-25 | url = http://www.sahafi.jo/arc/art1.php?id=2ff497cc3ba5447d61c552e2d930922a0ccaf34f }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140px">
File:Temple of Zeus (Gerasa, Jerash - Jordan) - معبد زيوس.jpg|Temple of Zeus
File:North Theater, Jerash, Jordan4.jpg|North Theater
File:Cardo maximus, Jerash, Jordan5.jpg|The cardo maximus
File:Jarash - 4140941828.jpg|The hippodrome
File:Jerash29-artemida temple(js).jpg|A detail of the [[propylaeum]] of [[Temple of Artemis, Jerash|Artemis]]
File:Northern Tetrapylon, Jerash.jpg|Northern [[Tetrapylon]], Jerash
File:Jarash - 4140197563.jpg|Columns of the [[Temple of Artemis, Jerash|Temple of Artemis at Jerash]]
File:Jarash - 4140963442.jpg|Elements of [[frieze]] from the sanctuary of Zeus at Jerash
File:Inside-Jerash.jpg|Inside Jerash
File:Jerash-detail2.jpg|Jerash ornamentation
File:Jerash2.jpg|Inside Jerash
File:Jerash-Inscriptions.jpg|Inscriptions at Jerash
File:Jerash Jordan.jpg|Old stone bridge linking modern and ancient Jerash
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac]]
* [[Jerash Cathedral]]
* [[Bet She'an|Scythopolis (Beth-Shean)]]
* [[Temple of Artemis, Jerash]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/678158 |title=Places: 678158 (Gerasa/Antiochia ad Chrysorhoam) |author=Brown, J., E. Meyers, R. Talbert, T. Elliott, S. Gillies |date=25 October 2020 |access-date=8 March 2012<!-- 9:35&nbsp;am -->|publisher=Pleiades}}
*{{cite book | title = First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population | author = Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics | year = 1964|url=http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensus1961bits.pdf}}
*{{cite book | last1= Hütteroth|first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth  |first2=K. | last2=Abdulfattah |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah| title = Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ  | year = 1977 | publisher = Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft|isbn= 3-920405-41-2}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Kubiak-Schneider |first1=Aleksandra |last2=Lichtenberger |first2=Achim |title=The God Pakeidas in Jerash – His Worship through Archaeological and Epgraphical Sources |journal=Electrum |date=2022 |volume=29 |pages=219–236 |doi=10.4467/20800909EL.22.014.15784|doi-access=free }}
*{{cite book|title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500|url=https://archive.org/details/palestineundermo00lestuoft |first=G.|last=Le Strange|author-link=Guy Le Strange|year=1890|publisher=Committee of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]]}} (p. [https://archive.org/stream/palestineundermo00lestuoft#page/462/mode/1up 462])
*{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Gerasa |volume=11 |pages=765–766 |first=R. A. Stewart  |last=Macalister |authorlink=R. A. Stewart Macalister |short=1}}
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=http://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft |title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|  location=Boston|publisher=[[Crocker & Brewster]]|volume=3}}

==External links==
* [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Jerash%20(Jordan) Photos of Jerash from the American Center of Research]
*[https://www.manar-al-athar.ox.ac.uk/pages/collections_featured.php?parent=6229 Photos of Jerash] from the [[Manar al-Athar]] photo archive
{{Wikivoyage|Jerash}}
{{commons}}
{{Decapolis cities}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Jerash| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 8th millennium BC]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Jordan]]
[[Category:Decapolis]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Jordan]]
[[Category:Populated places in Jerash Governorate]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Jordan]]
[[Category:Neolithic sites of Asia]]
[[Category:Cities founded by Alexander the Great]]
[[Category:Antiochus IV Epiphanes]]