Ancient architecture in the capital of Jordan

This ancient citadel i located on a hill overlooking the old part of Amman, the capital of Jordan. It's one of the most interesting sights in Amman and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace are two of the most famous ruins in the complex. The Amman Citadel is one of those places that should be visited in Amman. There are probably lots of other places too, but our time spend in the city was short. We had entered Jordan from Syria. In Amman we were going to meet our driver to take us to Petra. We spend only one night, but it gave an afternoon to explore the city. The citadel was our choice.

Once this city was a royal city. Since the Iron Age the people called the Ammominites were living in this kingdom.The part of Amman in and around the citadel goes back hundred of years. It has been rebuilt many times. That’s why most of the ruins we see today, are not the originals buildings.

The Temple of Herkules was the first place we made a stop after entering the citadel. The remains of the Roman temple is the most famous among all the ruins. There isn’t much left, but two of the 30 feet tall pillars are still intact. The others are in ruins. By looking at the remains, one can only imagine what it might have looked liked once.

After walking along «roads» that reminds me of other ancient Roman roads we came to different ruins and the place where there have once been Byzantine Churh. Only not much is left.

Then we came to The Umayyad Palace. There are quite an amount of ruins, but in this case more of the original palace is preserved. Parts has been restored. That helps to understand what it once might have looked like. The palace might have been built sometime during the 7th or 8th century. Even it is ruined, it seems to have been av large structure once, consisting of rooms and courtyards. The domed audience hall still looks in a good condition. The wooden ceiling is new, but it have been made of wood when it was new.

The Roman Theatre

Even most of the buildings and temples are in ruins, it's still an important site for archeologists and historians. Lots of tourists do seem to find an interesting place to visit.