Situated in the north of
Jordan, 48km north of the capital
Amman towards
Syria,
Jerash is the site of the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. Ancient inscriptions establish the foundation of the city as being by
Alexander the Great or his general
Perdiccas. It was a city of the
Decapolis (Ten Cities), a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the
Roman Empire in Jordan,
Israel and Syria. Recent excavations show that Jerash was already inhabited during the Bronze Age (3200 BC - 1200 BC). The Romans, who conquest the city in 63 BC, ensured security and peace in this area, which enabled its people to devote their efforts to economic development and encouraged civic building activity. The
Persian invasion in 614 caused the rapid decline of Jerash, and in 749 a major earthquake destroyed much of the city. During the period of the
Crusades, some of the monuments were converted to fortresses. Small settlements continued in Jerash during the
Ayyubid,
Mameluk and
Ottoman periods.
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