Gerasa of ancient times, in the biblical land of Gilead, is Jarash of today. This fertile area in northern Jordan has attracted settlers for thousands of years. Jarash became a major city of the Decapolis under the Romans, who had initiated extensive construction projects there. After Constantinople became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire in 330 AD, Christianity became the empire’s official religion, and there was a great revival in the cities of the eastern provinces. By the middle of the 4^th century, Jarash was a thriving center of Christianity, and between then and the early 7^th century there were at least fifteen churches built in the area. Today Jarash is one of the largest and best-preserved Roman cities in the world. Remains of its many churches are visible, and several of them contain impressive Byzantine mosaics.