Jerash
The city of Jerash is 54km north of Amman towards Syria, or about a 50-minute car drive. There is strong evidence that settlements here date back to the Bronze Age (3200-1200 BC). This city is the site of ruins from the Greco-Roman period and the ancient Greek inscriptions throughout the city suggest that it was founded by Alexander the Great.
Excavation and restoration of this very historic city has been continuous since the 1920s. The latest one, in August 2015, two human skulls were unearthed that date back to the Neolithic period (7500-5500 BC). Jerash is the second most popular tourist attraction in Jordan, after Petra. Today, it is home to an ethnically diverse population, including: the majority, Muslims- Arabs, Circasians and Armenians; and Christians- Orthodox and Catholics.
Starting in 1981, the city has become the host of the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts, a three-week long summer festival of dance, music and theatrical performances. There are also two daily performances of the Roman Army and Chariot Experience at the hippodrome, except on Tuesdays and only one on Fridays.