Most visitors never cross the river — yet on its east bank stand the remains of one of Jerash’s largest public buildings. The Great East Baths, built in the 3rd century AD, covered some 22,000 square metres, and the nearby South Bridge carried the city’s South Decumanus across the valley, linking the monumental centre with the eastern districts and their springs.
Where Are the Great East Baths and South Bridge?
Both lie on the east side of the Wadi Jerash — the ancient Chrysorrhoas — which divided the Roman city in two. The baths stand on the east bank near the Ain Qairawan spring, the only major Roman monument on that side of the river, while the bridge carried the South Decumanus from the South Tetrapylon down the slope and across the valley.
Today the area lies within modern Jerash, outside the fenced archaeological park, and the ruins are interrupted by the streets and buildings of the town. Visitors reach them from the town, not from inside the park.
Historical Context and Origin
The South Decumanus was laid out across the city in the 1st century AD, and around AD 170 it was remodelled to run down to the river and the new South Bridge. In the 3rd century AD the Great East Baths were built on the far bank: some 30 rooms, vaulted halls, a large pool and porticoes, fed by spring water.
In late antiquity parts of the baths were altered and stripped of valuable stone, and in the early Islamic period new structures rose over them.
Architectural Design
The baths were a civic institution, not just a place to wash: rooms for changing, cold, warm and hot bathing, heated by furnaces, were combined with halls and courts for exercise and meeting. The bridge was a work of design as well as engineering — the street descended to it as a broad ramp, and its colonnades stepped down the slope with the landscape.
Vaulted Halls
Three great vaulted chambers formed the heart of the baths, the largest running north–south on the western side.
The Northern Pool
Excavations in 2017–2018 revealed a large pool framed by Corinthian porticoes, with statues found nearby.
Spring Water
The baths stood close to the Ain Qairawan spring, which supplied the large amounts of water they needed.
The South Bridge
Three arches and sloping approaches, about 73 m long in all, carried the street across the river.
Destruction, Rediscovery, and Excavation
Their size, fine stone and closeness to the town made the baths a quarry for later builders, so much of the plan was lost under collapse and new construction. Excavations in 2017–2018 uncovered the northern pool, its porticoes and statues. The bridge, too, has been damaged, repaired and conserved over time.
Visiting the Great East Baths and South Bridge Today
This is a site to read as a landscape rather than a single ruin. The baths and bridge are reached from the modern town on the east side of the river, not from inside the archaeological park. Stand back to take in the scale of the baths, look for the vaulted halls and the pool area, then find the bridge to see how the Roman city crossed its river.
The ground is rough and there is little shade, so wear sturdy shoes and carry water. Allow about 30 minutes.
