Jerash and Ajloun
The best-preserved Roman city in the region, and a castle from the time of Saladin.
- Duration
- Full day, about 8 hours
- Starts from
- Starts at your hotel or the airport in Amman
- Price
- Price on request
Overview
Jerash, the Roman city of Gerasa, lies about 48 km north of Amman. Its streets, theatres and temples stand to a height that is rare in the Middle East, and you can walk the whole city in a morning.
In the afternoon you drive up into the wooded hills to Ajloun Castle, built in the 1180s by a general of Saladin to watch the roads to the Jordan Valley. The view from its walls reaches the valley on a clear day.
Itinerary
08:30
Drive north from Amman
About an hour to Jerash.
09:30
Hadrian's Arch and the Hippodrome
The arch was built to welcome the emperor in 129 to 130 CE.
10:30
The Oval Plaza and the colonnaded street
Walk the Cardo, still paved with the ruts of Roman carts.
12:00
Theatres and the Temple of Artemis
Then lunch in Jerash, at your own cost.
14:30
Ajloun Castle
Halls, towers and tunnels, and the view over the hills.
16:30
Return to Amman
Drop-off at your hotel in the early evening.
What is included
- A private car with air conditioning and a professional driver
- Fuel and parking for the whole day
- Bottled water in the car
- Pick-up and drop-off in Amman
What is not included
- Entrance tickets to the sites
- Meals and drinks
- A licensed site guide, if you want one
- Tips
Practical tips
- Jerash is almost all in the open: bring water, a hat and sun cream.
- Ajloun Castle has steep stairs and low passages.
- Spring is the best season: the hills around Ajloun are green.
Gallery
Photo credits: Photos by Jim Greenhill, U.S. Army (Public domain), yeowatzup (CC BY 2.0), Mohammad hajeer (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
Request this tour
Tell us your dates and how many of you are travelling. We confirm the car, the driver and the price with you. You pay nothing now.