Day 6 – Friday, March 24: Jordan Northern Border Crossing, Gadara, Jerash, Medeba
Today was “Decapolis Day” as we left Israel for a two days to visit Jordan. The day was mild and sunny, with temps in the mid to high 70s. Thankfully the visibility throughout the day was good. After breakfast, we checked out of our hotels, loaded the buses and drove to the border. We read some of the kingdom parables from Matthew 13 as we departed.
Border Crossing
The border crossing went as anticipated. It took about 45 minutes to drive to the Sheik Border Crossing. We first passed through the Israeli passport control before driving to the Jordanian side. We went through the same procedures there. The total time to cross took about 2.5 hours.
Gardara
Once we crossed into Jordan, we boarded our three Jordan buses and drove north to the Yarmuk River. On the north side of the river/deep canyon is the Southern end of the Golan Heights. We continued to the top of the ridge high above the Yarmuk to Gadara (Umm Qais today). This was one of the ten Decapolis cities. Augustus gave it to Herod the Great in 30 BC. Here we saw the museum, the Cardo, two theaters, various temples. Most of all, the view of the Sea of Galilee (and Tiberias on the western side) was quite spectacular!
“Today was ‘Decapolis Day” as we crossed into Jordan to se two very impressive Roman sites – Gadara and Jerash. These ancient cites displayed a massive amount of ruins from the past. The view from Gadara of the Sea of Galilee (in Israel) was spectacular too!”
Jerash
Next, we drove south about an hour and a half to the largest of the Decapolis cities, Jerash. This city is one of the world’s best preserved examples of a Roman provincial city. It is thought to have had a population of 20,000 people and was one of the wealthiest cities of the Roman empire. Jerash was viewed as the “Pompeii of the East.” We entered the site through the Arch of Hadrian. After grabbing a quick sandwich and drink, we entered the site. We saw the hippodrome, the forum, the theater, and numerous temples (including the Temple of Artemis). We walked back to the entrance on the impressive pavement of the Cardo.
Medeba
About 5:45, we began our drive to Medeba for the night. We checked into our hotel and enjoyed a late dinner together. It was another great day!
Day 7 – Saturday, March 25: Mt. Nebo, Petra
