I remember as a small boy seeing movies like Spartacus and Ben Hur and wishing that I could go to a real chariot race. More recently I saw Gladiator and my childish desire had not diminished one bit.
Well now I can satisfy that desire. For the Roman Empire is alive and kicking and treading the boards daily. Furthermore its regular performances are taking place in a stadium built over 200 centuries ago.
In reality its the Roman Army Chariot Experience, a modern organization, who are staging the events. But the venue is truly ancient. The recently restored Hippodrome in the ancient city of Jerash, once the venue of Gladitorial contests and chariot racing, was built to seat 15,000 spectators. Arrive for the races today and it’s the original hard stone seats you’ll have to sit on. Jerash, just fifty minutes north of Jordan’s capital Amman, is rich with Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Umayyad and Neolithic remains. All of which make the perfect backdrop for authentic chariot racing. The colonnaded streets and the great oval piazza resound to trumpet fanfares. The sound of horses hooves, marching feet and the rattle of shields add to the build up of excitement. Spectators are transported back in time to watch the thrilling spectacle of Roman charioteers race each other in a show of military supremacy.
Jerash is one of the largest and best preserved of the Roman cities outside of Italy. It’s been inhabited since the stone age but its Golden Age was from 63 BCE when the Emperor Pompey conquered the area and incorporated the then city of Gerasa in the Roman Decapolis league. It was during Roman rule that the city plan with its colonnaded central street was laid out and it’s finest buildings and monuments, including the Hippodrome, erected.
Jerash went into decline around the 3rd century CE when shipping overtook overland trade. It was destroyed by a series of earthquakes in 747CE then lost under the sands where it remained until rediscovered in 1806. Archaeologists have been digging and restoring it since 1925.Chariot races take place daily from June. Find out more at www.jerashchariots.com
