AMMAN — Jerash, some 48 kilometres north of Amman, welcomed 100,362 visitors between January and July 2026, comprising 38,106 Jordanians and 62,256 foreign tourists, according to preliminary official statistics from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. 

 

During the same period in 2025, the ancient city recorded 117,701 visitors, including 44,817 Jordanians and 72,884 foreign tourists, according to Al Mamlaka TV.

 

Comparing the figures between 2026 and 2025 shows a 14.7per cent decline in overall visitor numbers.

 

Official data showed that February 2026 saw the highest monthly visitor footfall for 2025, recording 27,279 visitors. In contrast, April 2025 marked the peak for 2025, attracting 48,813 visitors.

 

Recognised as one of the largest and best preserved Greco-Roman cities, Jerash contains 35 archaeological sites.

 

According to the Jordan Tourism Board, Jerash is home to the Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts, established in 1981, where the annual event continues its long standing tradition of hosting diverse local, regional, and international cultural performances across ancient theatres, drawing guests globally.

 

The board noted that Jerash was originally known as Gerasa in the early Greek period, derived from its Semitic name Jirasha.

 

It was later named Antioch on the Golden River referring to the stream running through its centre after the Seleucid King Antiochus.

 

This title persisted until the early Roman period, after which its ancient name Gerasa was restored following Emperor Hadrian’s visit in 129 AD.

 

During the same era, the Nabataeans called the city Jarshu, ending with a “Waw” as a sign of the nominative case.