Robbie ’24 and Cecelia ’26, describe a day visit to the ancient city of Jerash and enjoy a traditional Jordanian meal!
A coat of many colors: Jordan’s Jerash
We started the day off flying from Aqaba to Amman after spending an amazing day on the coast with King’s Academy students and ending the night ocean “shriving” at Abdullah 25’s home.
Upon arriving in Amman, we headed straight for the ancient city of Jerash bordered above the Zarqa river. The River gives the city its distinct geographical and metaphorical character: lush greenery and fertile history. In a biblical context, it is located in the northern ammonite kingdom where Jacob wrestled with an angel of God and bestowed the name Israel. Jerash was part of the Decapolis in the Eastern Roman Empire, the period of which the city is most preserved, and served as an important trading hub used to supply trade caravans with food. I have found that everywhere in Jordan is like breathing in history and one that is so relevant today. I had never thought about Jordan as being a hub for so many civilizations colliding and marinating. There is a sense of spirituality that isn’t present in many other places.
Jerash has had millennia of influence dating back to the Neolithic period and encompassing the Bronze Age, Hellenistic period, Roman period, Byzantine and more up to the present day. One of the most interesting things was how each group influenced the other. An example of this was with the Greeks designing Corinthian columns that after Roman conquest were kept in the city temples. This perfectly exhibited the real world applications of learning Latin and Greek that I wouldn’t have thought could be found in now Arabic-speaking Jordan.
Jerash is one of the most well-preserved sites of the Roman Empire due to sand and dirt covering the ruins before the rediscovery of them by German traveler Ulrich Seetzen. I was most surprised by the fact that the city has only been 40 percent excavated since the first unearthing in 1930 as the modern city is constructed on its previous controllers. I have barely scratched all the history of this Jordanian city. My experience in Jerash has emphasized that History isn’t as far removed from the modern day, continually being dug up and reanalyzed. It’s amazing the amount of work and piecing together that needs to be done in order to present it to the public. I would have loved to spend even more time in the city!
We ended the day at an alumni dinner at the home of Mr. Mughith ‘90. In the presence of amazing traditional Jordanian food and good conversation, We got to hear perspectives on the region and shared ambitions. I got to see how interconnected the Deerfield alumni network was, spanning international borders.
My experience in Jordan has dilated my eyes to the beauty and diversity of the Arab world: clothed with a multi-colored coat but weaved onto one fabric.
-Robbie ’24
On day seven of Jordan we woke up in the hotel in Aqaba and went to breakfast. We had Labneh for breakfast, my favorite, and I tried to put honey on my yogurt but the machine attacked me and got all over my face! A quick 45 minute flight to Jerash was used by all to sleep, as we were all very tired from all our adventures of the past week.
Jerash was originally found by a German traveler in 1806, who noticed pillars sticking slightly out of the ground, but many years past before people started to excavate it. An intriguing part of Jerash was the olive press they used to make olive oil, which was a crucial trading item. There was also a circular forum with many columns that survived the earthquake. In between each column in the forum would have had a different shop, and it was fascinating to imagine all the people and action that had taken place right where we were standing all those years ago. We walked over to the theater which was a smaller but very similar version to the one we visited in Amman on our second day in Jordan. When standing in the middle of the theater, your voice echoed when you spoke, but only for you. This is because of the shape of the theater, so when you spoke the sound waves bounce back to only you. Everyone got the chance to stand in the center and try it out, but we were quickly swept away by a bagpiper, who danced with us around the theater.
After Jerash we ate at a Lebanese restaurant and then drove all the way back to King’s for the first time in four days. We drove to dinner in Amman hosted by Mr. Mughith ‘90. We ate traditional Jordanian food for dinner, and before dessert we went around in a circle and discussed our favorite part of the trip. It was amazing to speak to all of the Deerfield alumnus and hear about their experiences at our school, as well as Mr. Mughith’s sons, nephew, and an exchange student who also came to the dinner. We learned that Deerfield used to have a lobster sit down meal and that Mr. Mughith lived in the same room in Poc that Julia lives in now!
After dinner we drove back to King’s and we are looking forward to catch up on sleep for day eight!
-Cecelia ’26
