Once the chariot-rutted streets of Gerasa bustled with life and commerce and its buildings were adorned with painted facades. From the days of Alexander the Great, the city rose in size and brilliance, until the Muslim conquest in 636 and a massive earthquake in 747 destroyed many of the structures.
According to our guide, Ali Abu Shakra, about 25 per cent of the city has been excavated, and restoration work is visibly underway on the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch, built in honour of the visiting emperor.
It features, among other things, a hippodrome—an ancient sporting venue—which could once seat 15,000 people, but today remains mostly rubble. The more intact south theatre could seat 5,000 when it was first built between 81 and 96 AD, but today it seats about 3,000. An energetic bagpipe band helped demonstrate the acoustics while we visited.
One of the best-known features of the city, the huge oval plaza, is surrounded by reconstructed Ionic columns, and connects the main north-south road to the Temple of Zeus. It was once used as a market or meeting place. The city was also home to a Temple to Artemis and a huge nymphtaeum—a fountain in honour of the water nymphs—which was once entirely frescoed and adorned with statues.
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