Jerash
Checked 31 August 2026 · 4 official sources
AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST · SIESTA SIDE
One of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities anywhere, 45km north of Amman: colonnaded streets on their original paving, an oval plaza and two working theatres.
The plan
Entry and hours
10 JD for foreign visitors, free on a Jordan Pass, with the archaeological museum included. Open 7.30am-7pm in summer and 8am-5pm in winter.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
Hadrian's Arch
Built for the emperor's visit in 129 AD and standing at the southern approach, some way before the city proper begins.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
The Oval Plaza
An asymmetric colonnaded forum ringed with Ionic columns, and the image everyone comes for. Best seen from the temple steps above it.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
The South Theatre
Built between 90 and 92 AD for over 3,000, with acoustics good enough that it is still used for performances.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
The Hippodrome
A chariot-racing arena with room for 15,000, just inside the south gate. Empty most days and worth the detour on the way in.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
Getting there
Bus from Amman
Minibuses run from Tabarbour North Station, about an hour and a couple of dinars. Reach Tabarbour on a service taxi from downtown.
Taxi from Amman
Roughly 8-10 JD one way, or around 40 JD for the return with the driver waiting while you walk the site. Agree it before you set off.
Combine with Ajloun
The castle is a short drive further west and the two fit comfortably into one day, which is what most drivers will propose anyway.
When to go
Best time to go
March-May and September-November: the site has almost no shade, and spring puts wildflowers between the columns.
Cheapest months
December-February. Cold, wet, empty and cheapest, with the site closing at 5pm and the north at its greenest.
Priciest & busiest
Late July into early August for the Jerash Festival, when the theatres are in use and the site fills.
If you've got one day
Morning
First bus or taxi from Amman and through Hadrian's Arch before the coaches. The site is large and there is no shade.
Late morning
The Oval Plaza, the Temple of Zeus above it and the South Theatre, then north up the colonnaded street.
Lunch
One of the few restaurants on the road by the entrance. There is nothing to eat inside the site itself.
Afternoon
The North Theatre, the Temple of Artemis and the archaeological museum, which is covered by the same ticket.
Evening
Drive on to Ajloun Castle for the view west, or head back to Amman. Jerash has very little after dark.
Nearby & day trips
Ajloun Castle
A late-12th-century Ayyubid fortress raised under Izz al-Din Usama. 3 JD or free on a Jordan Pass, roughly 8am-4pm in winter and to 6.30pm in summer.
Umm Qais
The Decapolis city of Gadara further north, 5 JD, looking out across the Sea of Galilee and the Golan. Quieter than Jerash and a longer drive.
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