A close second to Petra on the list of favourite destinations in Jordan, the ancient city of Jerash boasts as unbroken chain of human occupation dating back more than 6,500 years.
The city's golden age came under Roman rule and the site is now generally acknowledged to be one of the best preserved Roman provincial towns in the world. Hidden for centuries in sand before being excavated and restored over the past 70 years, Jerash reveals a fine example of the grand, formal provincial Roman urbanism that is found throughout the Middle East, comprising paved and colonnaded streets, soaring hilltop temples, handsome theatres, spacious public squares and plazas, baths, fountains and city walls pierced by towers and gates.
Beneath its external Graeco - Roman veneer, Jerash also preserves a subtle blend of east and west. Its architecture, religion and languages reflect a process by which two powerful cultures meshed and coexisted, The Graeco - Roman world of the Mediterranean basin and the ancient traditions of the Arab Orient.
The Jerash festival, held in July every year, transforms the ancient city into one of the world's liveliest and most spectacular culture events. The festival features folklore dances by local and international groups, ballet, concerts, plays, opera, popular singers and sales of traditional handicrafts, all in the brilliantly floodlit dramatic surroundings of the Jerash ruins.
Jerash Festival
Two thousand years ago, the great urban trading cities of the Middle East were born when Middle Eastern and Western societies came together in a tremendous synthesis of commerce, art, and culture. Their legacy shines today in the splendid cities of the Greco-Roman and Arab east, such as Petra, Jerash, Gadara, and Palmyra. The full power and glory of that ancient drama is revived in Jordan every summer in the form of the two-week-long Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts. This year's 19th annual Jerash Festival brings together over 35 different performers and troupes from Jordan, the Middle East and the world.
The Jerash Festival usually takes place during end of July and beginning of August .It showcases a wide array of singers, musical and folklore troupes, poetry readings, symphony orchestras, ballet, Shakespearean theatre, handicrafts, and art shows. Among the highlights of the year 2000 festival are the Original Shakespeare Company of the U.K. performing Romeo and Juliet, the Modern Ballet Ensemble from Prague, the Ukrainian State Ballet performing Giselle, the Jordan National Music Conservatory orchestra, a Lebanese Muppets theatre, drum majorettes from South Africa, Circassian, Bedouin, and urban folk dance troupes from Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt, a chamber choir from Sweden, Spanish folk dancers, and many other acts. Special acts and exhibitions cater to children, making the festival an attractive destination for the entire family.
The colonnaded streets, plazas, and theatres of Jerash all provide unique venues for these acts, under the balmy summer skies of central Jordan. While performances take place in the different arenas, thousands of visitors also enjoy strolling through the ancient streets and monuments of the city, shopping for handicrafts, taking in art and book exhibitions, enjoying a casual meal, or simply absorbing the powerful drama of East and West meeting in a great cultural jamboree. Skilled craftsmen and women display Bedouin rugs, jewellery, embroidery, glass, wood, metal, and ceramic objects, and also demonstrate on the spot how they create their wares.
Inaugurated in 1981 by Queen Noor Al Hussein and now part of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation cultural programs, the festival has become the premiere showcase for Jordanian performing artists, and an exciting meeting place for artists and the public at large from the four corners of the world. The setting of the ancient Greco-Roman City provides an unforgettable backdrop to this cultural jamboree, with brilliant floodlights dramatically highlighting the colonnaded streets, public plazas, temple precincts, Byzantine churches, theatres, and other ancient monuments.
The Jerash Festival takes place during a traditionally quiet season for tourism in Jordan, making it easy to book hotel rooms and air travel at attractive prices. You can easily spend a week taking in the many offerings at the festival, which all take place in the evening from 5-11 p.m., while enjoying Jordan's many other attractions during the daytime hours.
