Amman's Citadel
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Author: David W. Tschanz
Released 20 October 2005
This is a restored column pair from the Temple of Hercules in Amman, Jordan.
Photograph by David W. Tschanz
AMMAN, Jordan, October 27, 2004 -- Perched atop the highest point in Amman, the Citadel (el-Qal'a in Arabic) has served as the center of Amman's religious, administrative and social life since the Bronze Age.
The first thing a visitor notices is the defensive walls, most dating from the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad-Abassid occupations (63 BC to AD 800). Excavations have uncovered remains from the Hellenistic, Iron and Middle Bronze Ages. The walls are built of well-dressed limestone blocks ranging in thickness from 1 to 4 meters.
Because of the constant building, rebuilding and redesigning, as well as the length of use, the existing walls are now 1,700 meters in length with 10 towers and three gates. The Umayyad fortification walls are one of the few remaining examples in the world from that dynasty.
The Citadel is built in three tiers. The middle and upper tiers formed the acropolis of the ancient city and accommodated the most important public monuments, among them The Temple of Hercules, dedicated to Marcus Aurelius (emperor 161-180). The Temple is being reconstructed to its original appearance with new stone being fitted in with the older remaining stone. In its heyday, it was connected with the city forum at the foot of the Citadel through a monumental staircase, which has since vanished.
This is the Odeon, where extensive restoration has returned the 500-seat theater to its original appearance.
Photograph by David W. Tschanz
Atop the Citadel are also the remnants of a Byzantine-era church and a cistern. Near them is an Umayyad structure believed to have been a military and political center.
The Citadel also affords an exceptional view of Amman's best-known site, the Roman amphitheater. Discovered in the 1950s, it is cut into the side of a hill and was able to seat 6,000. It was completed about 169 to 177 AD. Vaulted passageways provided access into the theater.
Next to the theater is the Forum - the marketplace and main public square that marked all Roman cities. And the Nymphaeum, or public baths, are nearby.
The Jordanian Ministry of Antiquities has undertaken a major reconstruction project of the Citadel, amphitheater and Odeon. Some of the columns that marked the Temple of Hercules have been raised, new stonework has been added to the amphitheater and a new dome placed on the Umayyad fortress.
In addition, the Odeon has been completely rebuilt.