by Jacqueline Beach

Created on: August 28, 2009

Within a few hours of arriving in Amman, we are weaving through the tiny, traffic clogged arteries of the old city centre, the Ballad. The fluorescent green light of the city's many mosques, fleck the surrounding hills as dusk falls. The red, white, black and green of Jordan's national flag hangs from nearly every white-stoned building in the city, with pictures of a smiling King Abdullah II and his glamorous wife Queen Rania, lit up outside all official buildings. This is a big year for Jordan. 2009 marks 10 years of King Abdullah's rule over the country, as well as Jordan's 100th year in existence. A

Roman Empire in Jordan, Palestine, and Syria. The ten cities were not an official league or political unit, but were grouped together due to similarities in language, culture, location, and political status. The cities were centres of Greek and Roman culture in a region that was otherwise Nabatean, Aramean, and Jewish. Also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River, Jerash is considered to be one of the most important and best preserved Roman cities in the Near East.

Conquered by the Romans in 400 AD, the city continued to blossom until the enormous earthquake of 750 AD which shook much of the Middle East. In its current state, Jerash boasts a 6,000 seater arena, Hadrian's Arch, two large temples (to Zeus and Artemis), an oval Forum, a long colonnaded street, two theatres (the Large South Theatre and smaller North Theatre), two baths, a scattering of small temples and an almost complete circuit of city walls. Despite the largesse of Jerash's ruins, it is estimated that nearly 75 per cent of Jordan's ruins remain unexcavated, an explanation for Jerash's superb condition. Furthermore, unlike the Forum in Rome or the Acropolis in Greece, there are no queues, nor are there any proximity restrictions. It is not however, recommended to take local guides, as their English skills are often poor and their speeches tend to be rote learnt. Yet in a place like Jerash, bask in its quiet, and let your mind take you back to the ages of old when Jerash was thriving.

Jordan, or trans-Jordan as it is referred to in the bible, meaning the other side of the Jordan River from Palestine/Israel, also boasts several spots of biblical significance. Approximately a half hour's drive from Amman sits Mt Nebo, the site where Moses looked over the Promised Land according to the final chapter of Deuteronomy. Both Jews and Christians believe that Moses was buried on this mountain by God Himself,

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