The Colonnaded Street

The Colonnaded Street

Introduction The Colonnaded Street gets its name from the orderly rows of Corinthian stone columns lining both sides of the street. In fact, these columns served as supports for an elevated aqueduct that brought water from the mountains north of the city. The water flowed through the aqueduct to fountains and bathhouses for public use. Beneath the stone-paved street was a drainage system, with round drains spaced at intervals along the surface. This may have been one of the earliest urban water supply systems. This 800-meter-long street runs straight from the Oval Plaza toward the North Gate. The street is flanked by colonnades and commercial shops, making it an ancient commercial thoroughfare. The floor of the street is still the original from 2,000 years ago, and you can even see deep ruts left by horse-drawn carts. Walking northward, on the left side of the road, there is an exquisitely carved nymph (mermaid) fountain. Water flows from arched stone openings above into a rectangular basin, then through seven lion heads, and finally into the drainage system. It is one of the most important structures in Jerash, built in the late 2nd century AD.

Irbid, Jordan