The Macellum was the main food market of Roman Gerasa — the place where people came every day to buy meat, fish and fresh produce. Instead of a simple row of shops, it was built around an elegant octagonal courtyard with a fountain at its centre, turning daily shopping into part of the city’s public life.
Where Is the Macellum?
The Macellum stands on the west side of the Cardo Maximus, a short walk north of the Oval Plaza. It fills a whole city block between the plaza and the South Tetrapylon, with the Shops of the South Cardo along its street front and the Umayyad Mosque next door.
It was a good place for a food market: beside the busiest street in the city, close to the plaza and the sanctuary above it.
Historical Context and Origin
The market was built in the 2nd century AD, when Gerasa was investing in streets, temples, theatres and public buildings. The Latin word macellum means a food market, and Jerash’s example followed the Roman tradition of specialised sellers trading from rooms around a central court. Parts of it were built with stone reused from earlier monuments.
In the late Roman period the food market declined and the building was altered and reused. In the 7th and 8th centuries, under the Umayyads, part of it became a dyeing workshop — still a place of work and trade at the heart of the town.
Architectural Design
The Macellum measures about 55 by 50 metres. At its centre lies the paved octagonal court with its fountain, surrounded by porticoes on Corinthian columns that gave shade to shoppers. Behind them, large rooms alternating between rectangular and semicircular plans housed the vendors. The plan is easy to follow even in ruin and gives a vivid picture of an organised Roman market.
The Octagonal Court
A paved, eight-sided courtyard at the centre of the market — an unusual shape that gives the building its identity.
The Central Fountain
A fountain at the heart of the court supplied water for washing and cleaning and gave the market a focal point.
Vendor Rooms
Behind Corinthian porticoes, rooms alternating between rectangular and semicircular plans held the sellers’ stalls.
The Butcher’s Table
A stone table carved with animal heads still bears the marks of countless knife cuts.
Destruction, Rediscovery, and Restoration
The great earthquake of AD 749 brought down structures in and around the market, and over the centuries collapse and debris hid its plan. Modern excavation showed that the building was a Roman macellum — a food market — and not an agora, as it had once been thought.
Visiting the Macellum Today
The Macellum is set slightly back from the Cardo, so it is easy to walk past. Step in from the street, walk around the octagonal court and look at the alternating vendor rooms, then find the fountain and the butcher’s table — they make the market’s purpose easy to imagine.
Allow 10–15 minutes. The court is open to the sun, so it is best early or late in the day, and it fits naturally between the Oval Plaza and the South Tetrapylon.
