1171 JORDAN - Jerash Archaeological City (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

Situated in the north of Jordan, 48km north of the capital Amman towards Syria, Jerash is the site of the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. Ancient inscriptions establish the foundation of the city as being by Alexander the Great or his general Perdiccas. It was a city of the Decapolis (Ten Cities), a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Jordan, Israel and Syria. Recent excavations show that Jerash was already inhabited during the Bronze Age (3200 BC - 1200 BC). The Romans, who conquest the city in 63 BC, ensured security and peace in this area, which enabled its people to devote their efforts to economic development and encouraged civic building activity. The Persian invasion in 614 caused the rapid decline of Jerash, and in 749 a major earthquake destroyed much of the city. During the period of the Crusades, some of the monuments were converted to fortresses. Small settlements continued in Jerash during the Ayyubid, Mameluk and Ottoman periods.

Jerash is a large and fascinating archaeological site. One of the most important objectives is Cardo Maximus (in the postcard), stretching north from the Oval Plaza, which is surrounded by a colonnade of 1st-century Ionic columns. The cardo was a north-south-oriented street in Roman cities, military camps, and coloniae, an integral component of city planning. The main cardo was called cardo maximus, which in general served as the primary road. Most Roman cities also had a Decumanus Maximus, an east-west street that served as a secondary main street. In other words, the cardo was the "hinge" or axis of the city, derived from the same root as cardinal. Cardo Maximus in Jerash is still paved with its original stones and bears the ruts of chariot wheels. As part of a remodeling of the street around 170 AD, the original Ionic columns were replaced with a more decorative Corinthian colonnade. The Cardo was lined with a broad sidewalk and shops and an underground sewage system ran the full length of the street, into which rainwater was channeled through holes on the sides of the street.

About the stamps
Both stamps are part of a large series of definitive stamps, Triumphal Architecture, Jerash, about which I wrote here.

References
Jerash - Wikipedia
Jerash Jordan - Sacred Destinations

Sender: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Aqaba (Aqaba Governorate / Jordan), on 19.03.2014