Our first stop on our free day in Madaba is at Jerash, a historic town near Amman with one of the best preserved Roman Ruins in the East.
In fact, this city has been named the ‘Pompeii of Asia’!
The hippodrome used to host chariot races in days gone by and today these races as well as the fights between gladiators are enacted with a fair bit of authenticity! We had fun watching the men in togas!
We drive on to Amman and eat our lunch along the way. This city which is reputed to have been occupied for more than 3,500 year is now congested and not that inviting when compared with some of the cities we have been to.
Previously called Philadelphia, we spend just about a hour looking around the Citadel which is famous because the museum houses the dead sea scrolls.
We drive back to Madaba, our base for the region and the city knows widely for its mosaics. We visit St George’s Church to have a look at the mosaics and the famous map on the floor of the church. The church is beautiful and we stay awhile listening to the music and admiring the artwork.
I’m off to Syria tomorrow for a week. We may not have internet access at all so if you don’t hear from me in the next few days..you know why!
“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”
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