ReiblingsInMiddleEast: From Amman to the ruins of Gadara

Yesterday, we took a tour from the City of Amman and visited the ruins of Gadara which is tucked in the far northwest corner of Jordan, some 25km from city of Irbid. It is both the site of an ancient Roman city and an Ottoman-era village.

The tourist website says:

Known as Gadara in ancient times, modern Umm Qays is in the northernmost part of Jordan, just south and east of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan. Founded by the Ptolomies as a military post after the death of Alexander the Great in the 3rd century BC, Gadara was a member of the Decapolis during Roman times. There are significant Roman and Ottoman ruins, including two amphitheaters, in the area,. From the guesthouse one can enjoy sweeping views of the Sea of Galilee and the Golan.

From Gadara site looking out unto the Sea of Galilee:

The hill-top site offers spectacular views over the Golan Heights in Syria, the Sea of Galilee in Israel, the Palestinian Territories and the Jordan Valley.

From Gadara site -- overlooking Golan Heights:

We took a picture of the army tower that 'watches over the area'. We also heard the army personnel have a very loud singalong. Here, the ruins went on for a couple of kms -- a good hike.

Next, we visited the Qala'-at-ar-Rabad castle in the town of Ajlun. The castle was again Spectacular. It was built by the Arabs as protection against the crusaders. It is an example of Islamic military architecture. The views of the Jordan Valley from the castle were (yet again) breath-taking. This castle was one in a chain of beacons and pigeon posts that allowed messages to be transmitted from Damascus to Cairo in a single day. The castle is an uphill walk of 2.5 km from the town centre.
View from Castle at Qala' at ar-Rabad:

Then we began the journey towards the city of Jerash back towards Amman. The city of Jerash is in an agricultural area. The City of Jerash is a beautifully preserved Roman city.
Entrance to Jerash:

It is deservedly one of Jordan's major attractions. Excavations have been on on-going for some 85 years, but it is estimated that 90% of the city is still un-excavated. In the past, the anciet city, known in Roman times as Gerasa, had a population of around 15,000.
Ruins of houses at Gadara:

It seems that the city rose to prominence from the time of Alexander the Great (333 B.C.). By the middle of the 5th century AD Christianity was the region's major religion and the construction of churches proceeded at a startling rate. With the invasion of Sassanian from Persia in 614, the Muslim conquest in 636 and a devastating earthquake in 747, Jerash's 'heyday' was over as it's population shrank to a quarter of it's former size.

The landscape in this area is hilly and green with second plantings of various vegetables. The crops in the area were: olives, cabbage, swiss chard, tomatoes, green peppers, etc.

Its hard for us to imagine having to come home and wait for another month before planting vegetables in the garden and then waiting until August, September for the crops. This is especially true when we walk through the markets in the various towns and see the very large radishes, cauliflower, oranges, strawberries, etc. at this time of year.