Sights in Jerash & The North
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Dibeen Nature Reserve
Established in 2004, this small area (no more than 8 sq km) of Aleppo pine and oak forest is Jordan’s newest nature reserve. Managed by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), Dibeen is representative of the wild forests that once covered much of the country’s northern frontiers. Despite its small size, however, the reserve is recognised as a national biodiversity hot spot, and protects 17 endangered animals (including the Persian squirrel) and several rare orchids. As Dibeen is still very much a work in progress, facilities are currently limited compared with other RSCN reserves. It’s best to check in advance with the RSCN through the Wild Jordan Centre…
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Abila (Quwayliba)
Lying just 10km north of Irbid, between the twin hills of Tell Abila and Tell Umm-al-Amad, are the ancient remains of the Decapolis city of Abila. At first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking that this site could only be enjoyed by the committed ruin hunter or the aspiring archaeologist. Indeed, little remains of this once-great city, especially since the earthquake of AD 747 did a pretty thorough job of turning Abila into a rock-strewn field. To date, much of Abila remains largely unexcavated and the site certainly isn’t set up for visitors, though you don’t need a guide to find the Roman-Byzantine theatre or the scattered remains of columns from the markets,…
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A
Museum
Before you finish exploring the ancient city, try to visit the small museum just to the northeast of (and uphill from) the Oval Plaza. It houses a small but worthwhile selection of artefacts from the site, such as mosaics, glass, gold jewellery and coins found in a tomb near Hadrian’s Arch. All items on display are well labelled in English, though no photography is allowed. Just as interesting as the exhibits are the inscriptions, tombs and pillars lying higgledy-piggledy in the gardens outside the museum.
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Ajloun Nature Reserve
Located in the Ajloun Highlands, this small (just 13 sq km) but vitally important nature reserve was established by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) in 1988 to protect oak, carob, pistachio and strawberry forests. The reserve also acts a wildlife sanctuary for the endangered roe deer (which is being brought back from the brink of extinction through captive breeding programs) as well as wild boar, stone martens, polecats, jackals and even hyena and grey wolves.
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B
Jordan Natural History Museum
JordanNatural History Museum is one of two museums in the grounds of the vast Yamouk University. Both domestic and foreign visitors are welcome. The museum contains a range of stuffed animals, birds and insects, as well as rocks from the region, but very little is explained in English. It’s good for birders, with some beautiful bee-eaters and rollers on display. The museum is in the huge green hangar No 23.
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C
University
There are two museums in the grounds of the vast YarmoukUniversity , which opened in 1977 and now boasts more than 22,000 students from across the Middle East. Visitors, both domestic and foreign, are welcome to wander around the university, and it's a good place to meet young Jordanians.
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D
Beit Arar
BeitArar was set up to host cultural events and is located in a superb old Damascene-style house. The rooms are set around a courtyard paved with volcanic black stones and there are manuscripts and photo displays of Arar, one of Jordan’s finest poets.
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Visitor Centre
At the entrance to the reserve is a modest visitor centre where you’ll find a small restaurant offering traditional Jordanian dishes and some local Ajloun specialities, as well as a nature shop selling locally produced handicrafts.
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