Ruins of Jeresh
Around 45 minutes outside of Jordan is the city of Jeresh. This city is home to an architectural marvel- the ruins of Jeresh. Although the postcards sold at the entrance depict a gorgeous Roman city, the images have been photoshopped- the city is in complete ruins!
The area suffers from large earthquakes every one hundred years or so, so the damage has accumulated over time. Over the last 70 years the site has been excavated and restored. Never the less, it is still a gorgeous locale! There are about fifteen sites scattered around the area. You have to go through a set of valleys and hills to get to them all, so you can not see them all from any one point.
There were very few tourists there. Tourism is down 75% in Jordan at the moment, so every tourist site feels like you have it all to yourself! It is certainly a unique experience!
The ruins may be uninhabited, but the area surrounding them certainly is packed! As soon as you walk to the edge of the ruins, you are immediately immersed in the down town of the modern city of Jeresh. The modern city has been continuously inhabited for 6,500 years, which explains why it encroaches onto the ruins- they needed to expand somewhere over time.
Although, I do prefer the ancient ruins- the beautiful architecture made for an incredible view!
Sucks that tourism is down, but there’s good reason for it. Would be an unbelievable experience to walk around them all when its that deserted though. One of the worst part about being a tourist is the other tourists.