Amman Citadel

Absolutely beautiful place. Go at sunset for views all across the city. The Architecture is stunning and you can spend ages wandering around at your leisure.

Amman citadel is one of the best historic sites in Amman. The bonus is that it is also an amazing viewpoint!

Wir waren heute in der Zitadelle Amman. Mit dem Jordan pass kommt man kostenlos hier rein. Wir waren ungefähr 1 1/2 Stunden vor Ort.

Panoramic view of Arab architecture in Amman is best viewed at the site of Amman Citadel!

The Amman Citadel, located in the heart of modern-day Amman, is an impressive site that helps tell the story of this region’s layered heritage. It is also the site of one of ACOR’s most impactful undertakings to date: the excavation and partial restoration of the Great Temple of Amman, also known as the Temple of Hercules. Central to Amman, the Citadel dominates one of the seven jebels—or hills—that make up the capital city of Jordan. Known locally as Jebel al-Qal’a, the site boasts the remains of a Roman temple, a Byzantine church, and an Umayyad palace, along with several other features of historical interest. The Citadel’s Roman temple, the Great Temple of Amman, was one of the principal monuments of Amman during the classical period. An inscription dates the temple’s construction to the term of the Roman governor Geminius Marcianus (A.D. 161–166). The restored columns and bases, which notably stood only at the front of the temple (and not also along the sides as they did in some other Roman temples), measure 13.5 meters (45 feet) tall. The ancient architects, and modern restoration team, had to stack five or six column drums, each weighing up to 11 tons, to create, or re-create, each column. The temple rose from a podium 43 by 27 meters (141 by 88 feet), which is somewhat less than half the size of a soccer field. In addition, a colossal marble hand and elbow, fragments thought to be the remains of a Roman statue of Hercules that once stood 13 m tall, have been found near the temple. All of these measurements suggest that, in size, this temple may have rivaled many of those in ancient Rome.