Ajlun

Atop the highest peak overlooking Ajlun is Qal’at ar-Rabadh, a huge Arab castle built between 1184 and 1185 by Azz ad-Din Ausama, a commander under Salah ad-Din. Crusader knights spent decades unsuccessfully trying to capture the castle and nearby village. The name Kafranjah, a town in the area famous for its olive trees, suggests that the crusading Franks (Franjis in Arabic) did some time here—if only as Practical Information Jerash is minuscule—barely lkm long from the South Gate down the Street of Columns to the North Gate. The tiny Chrysoras River (Golden River) separates the ancient ruins on the western bank from the new town on the east. The Visitors Information Center (open daily 7:30am-7pm) is on the left of the main road entering the city from the south, about 400m north of the Triumphal Arch, Groups can hire guides for JD4. Booklets which include maps and explanations of the sights allow more leisurely exploration and range in price from JD1 toJD6. The visitors center also has a small post office (open daily 8am-2pm).

Buses and service leave from Jerash’s bus station on the western edge of the new city. Buses to Amman’s Abdali Station cost 37Ofils (slightly more with A/C), to Ajlun 25Ofils, and to Irbid 32Ofils; service cost about 50% more. With the Jerash-Amman highway under construction, the ride to Amman will take you through Zarqa and run about one-and-a-half hours. Public transportation shuts down at about 7pm. Hitchers to Amman, Dibbin, or Ajlun are known to walk south about lkm from the visitors center to the intersection with Highway 20. Turning right (west) leads to Ajlun and the Dibbin National Park. Going straight takes you to Amman; buses pass frequently and are easy to flag. The main road through Jerash continues north to Irbid. Hitchers go to the northern edge of town, just before the branch of road that splits off to the left.