Jerash (Gerasa): Hadrian's Arch to the North Gate

From the visitor car park at Jerash (جرش), walk through Hadrian's Arch, past the long hippodrome, to the ticket office and the South Gate. Beyond it opens the Oval Plaza, ringed with columns, and from it the paved Cardo runs north between rows of columns, past the nymphaeum and the gateway to the Temple of Artemis, to the North Tetrapylon and the North Gate. Come back past the North Theatre and up to the great Temple of Artemis, then down through the Byzantine churches on the west side to the South Theatre and the Temple of Zeus, and out through the South Gate.

It is 4 km round with 59 m of ascent; allow about an hour, though most people spend half a day. The grade is Easy: paved Roman streets and dusty paths, uneven in places, with a few flights of steps.

There is little shade in the ruins: carry water and a hat, and come early or late in summer.

Entry is 10 JD for foreign visitors, museum included, or free with the Jordan Pass; the site opens from 08:00 to 17:00. Jerash is about 50 km north of Amman.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.