JERASH = JARASH

One of the problems of trying to learn Arabic is getting used to the fact that vowels are rarely written. So transliteration into Latin characters can give a host of spelling variants. The old Roman town of Jarash/Jerash is just one example of the confusion that can arise in non-Arabic minds!

The town is about 50km north of Amman. We travelled there by local bus, which cost a total of 1JD (about $2) per head. The only disadvantage is that you have to wait till the bus is full. It was quite full when we climbed aboard. An hour later it was fuller still, but there was no sign of movement. Another thirty minutes, and the conductor and driver agreed they couldn't pack another soul aboard and off we went.

Then there was a drama over a young woman clad in a black burqa. She had a seat to herself, when a young man dressed in western clothes sat down beside her. This was definitely NOT ALLOWED, and the conductor came to the rescue of the damsel in distress. The young man was booted to the back of the bus, and another lady was found to act as chaperone.

After about an hour we crossed a significant river, the Zarqa, and climbed up through fertile fields over some hills, on the slopes of which nestled Jarash, ancient and modern. Through a turnstile, and we faced Hadrian's gate, erected in AD 125 to welcome the Emperor.

Then into the Hippodrome, where even today there are chariot races. This is a view from the race track back towards the starting gates:

Onwards, and one reaches the great South Gate, the original entrance to the city.

Through the gate, up a slight slope, and you find yourself in a huge, almost circular forum lined with pillars.

The hill on the left leads up past a great temple to a theatre from which came the unlikely sound of bagpipes. It was a local, uncannily clad in a kilt, welcoming visitors to his stage!The black splodge in the centre is the Traveller, hiding her fevered brow under a black umbrella. It was extremely hot.Looking down from the top row of the theatre, below was the circular forum and the great main street stretching out for several kilometers, lined by pillars, with modern Jarash in the background.

On either side of the main street were side streets, also pillared, which had been great shopping precincts around the time of Christ.

And, of course, there were marvellous temples where the faithful could go to worship Artemis, because Christianity had not yet reached the town.

It was therefore a surprise to find, in the museum on our way out of the site, a gravestone in the form of a cross. The date, which translated to 26BC, reminded us that Christian symbolism had a pre-Christian ancestory.

We never found the bus-stop for the trip back. Instead we were hailed by a passing truck - "Did we want a lift to Amman?" We did, and 8JD later we were merrily bowling back along the highway. It was noisy and bumpy, but we didn't have to wait until the truck filled up!