THE OVAL SQUARE (FORUM)

This large square is the symbol of the city of Gerasa, the most famous image of the ancient site. And for good reason: the forum of Jerash was undoubtedly the largest in the Roman Empire when it was built at the beginning of the 2nd century. It is also the only oval-shaped forum in the whole empire. It is an essential architectural element in the city's urban planning as it provides a link between the Cardo maximus, the central artery that stretches from north to south and around which the city was organized, and the temple of Zeus. One cannot miss this agora with generous dimensions of 90 meters by 80 meters, surrounded by wide sidewalks and Ionic columns that have been straightened. The floor was only paved later, because it required a technical feat in addition to a colossal work. A natural depression of 6 to 8 meters occupied part of the square and had to be filled in and stabilized before the paving stones were laid. The Oval Square owes its name to its shape. In addition to being a public square where the inhabitants of the city met to trade, deal with politics, settle legal disputes, it served as a sacred esplanade for the temple of Zeus. A pedestal in its center is noteworthy. Today surmounted by a column (where the flame of the festival of Jerash is lit every year), it would have supported an altar or a statue in the past. The forum was at the same time a public square, an agora and a market, many shops have been found around it.