Our three weeks in Jordan end with a northern excursion to see two of the great Roman Decapolis cities, Gadara (modern Umm Qais) and Gerasa (Jarash), as well as one of the best examples of Islamic military architecture, Ar-Rabad Castle, built to counter the Crusader threat by one of Saladin’s generals in 1184. The north is a beautiful region. There are rugged mountains and 1,000s of olive trees. Since the area receives more rainfall than the south, citrus fruits and vegetables grow in the Yarmouk and Jordan River Valleys. From Umm Qais one can see Syria, Israel, the Golan Heights, and the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberius).
Gadera is interesting because of the less “restored” state of the ruins and the presence of an Ottoman era village built over part of the Roman city. On the other hand, although much restored, Gerasa, with its oval plaza, theatres and temples, is one of the largest provincial Roman towns (see photos). Although I have always wanted to visit Krak de Chevalier (Syria), Ar-Rabad in Ajloun, which held against the Crusaders, was destroyed by the Mongols prior to their defeat at Ayn Jalut, then was rebuilt by the Mamluks, finally becoming an Ottoman garrison, is remarkably well preserved and represents the most sophisticated examples of medieval military engineering. A very full day! - we tramped all over each of these sites, were entertained by a talented group of young boys performing local Arabic style dancing (we were invited to join in, fun!), and stopped to watch the sunset over Nahr az-Zarqa on the drive back to Amman.
Our journey has been incredible. Special thanks go to our AMIDEAST sponsors. Here and in Oman they guided our learning and provided a rich and varied schedule of events. Our Group Leader Cal Allen (see photo with AMIDEAST program director, Subi Abu Abbas at Gerasa) has been generous with his time and knowledge, answered our questions with patience and humor, and kept us focused.
I am signing off now. Tonight, July 26th, following our farewell banquet, we leave for Frankfurt travelling on to our respective cities. Enriched by our 5 week experience in Oman and Jordan we look forward to sharing photos and curriculum projects with colleagues and communities and infusing new perspectives and knowledge in the courses we teach.
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