Although many travellers journey to Jordan to see the fabled city of Petra, it has another lesser-known but still fascinating treasure in Jerash. Lying just 45 minutes north of the capital, Amman; the city is remarkable for its unbroken chain of human existence. Here you will find remains dating as far back as Neolithic times but Jerash's golden age really arrived with Roman rule.

Today, with many of its richly embellished marble and granite structures still standing, it is acknowledged as one of the best preserved Roman provincial towns in the world and includes a colonnaded street, a square, two amphitheatres and several churches.

Jerash can be visited alone or together with the Crusader Castle of Ajlun, and the strategically placed Um Qeis, located on the contentious frontiers of Israel, Jordan and Syria.