What bought the site to life was the show put on in the hippodrome, initially consisting of Roman legionaries parading and demonstrating military drills before fighting it out. Next came the gladiators, complete with fake blood for the kill, before the chariots raced around the track (the favourite sporting event during Roman times). Setup by a Swedish man fulfilling his childhood dream, both Anne and I enjoyed the spectacle. Once she got up close and stood in one of the chariots, Anne was impressed at the speed they went as there isn’t much to them, and it must take some skill to steer the two horses around the arena.
In the afternoon we drove up through the hills to the 12th century AD castle near Ajloun, called Qala’at Ar-Rabad. Situated to control three wadis that lead down into the Jordan valley and forming part of the defensive line against the Crusaders, the views would be spectacular had it not been partially in the clouds when we visited. The castle itself is quite compact and is currently undergoing restoration, but worth a visit even if the weather is bad. SPOT
It was still light when we got back to Jerash so we did some Land Rover maintenance, including changing the fuel and air filters. We got our usual quota of locals stopping to look and getting up close and personal, but they’re only ever interested in what we’re doing and don’t mean any harm.
The staff at Hadrian’s Gate Hotel are probably the nicest and most eager to please we have met, making us tea and coffee whenever we want (actually, I should have said making me tea and coffee as Anne drinks neither - she’s strange like that), offering to drive us into town, asking us if we needed any help and letting us use their hose to fill our water tank.
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