The most important places to visit in Jabal al-Qala’a, known as the Ribat of Ammon in the past, is a castle located on the highest hill in Amman. It is also surrounded by a high wall of 1,700 meters in length. Among the most famous of them are the Temple of Hercules and the Umayyad Palace, exciting tourist attractions.

The wall was rebuilt several times during the Iron Age and Bronze Age and the artifacts of the castle date back thousands of years, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Temple of Hercules was built and the two large columns of the castle are the remains of the temple, the only visible parts are parts of a platform and columns visible from all over the city Follow us to the end of the article, you will find all the information that interests you.

The most important places to visit in the Citadel Mountain

The castle is located on top of the Citadel Mountain in the center of Amman and overlooks the ancient city. It was called Ribat Ammon, which means the ancient royal city of Ammon, which lived in the kingdom during the Iron Age and among the buildings in this place.

  Among the best preserved buildings in Amman Citadel are the buildings that formed a small part of the Umayyad palace that covered a large group of buildings, but due to earthquakes most of these buildings were destroyed, and most of them are still in good condition.

There is a large courtyard that contains the remains of residential buildings and the cistern that was used to transport water from the palace. The plan of the building, the entrance to the castle, costs only two Jordanian dinars. It is open from eight in the morning until seven in the evening, and visitors can walk.

But they should be careful while walking, and the castle should be on the itineraries to Oman and now we will introduce you to these wonderful places that make you happy and introduce you to the history of Oman extensively.

The ruins on the Citadel Mountain

In this wonderful museum, visitors can learn about the history of Jordan while enjoying the picturesque landscapes, and the castle is the place for the first national archaeological museum that includes artifacts, and among the most important ruins of the castle:

• cistern.

• Roman temple.

• Umayyad palace.

• Bronze Age cave.

• Ammonite Palace.

• Byzantine Church.

• Temple of Hercules.

What are the ruins of Jabal Al-Qalaa?

The history of the Citadel Mountain dates back to the seventh century BC, when many empires and states succeeded, and it was the seat of states and the capital of other countries, and the Citadel Mountain has many monuments that indicate the succession of ancient civilizations as follows:

Umayyad palace

The Umayyad Palace is a large and luxurious complex in addition to the Umayyad era, it was built in the 8th century, and at its entrance there is a vaulted hall known as the Great Gate or Al-Kashm, and all the original parts have been destroyed.

Once you reach the site of the palace, wander around the place and take some time to look at the architectural design of the palace builders and it is one of the best places you want to visit.

One of the most important features of this palace is the reception hall located inside it, which was dedicated to receiving visitors and was designed with a distinctive taste, which is reflected in the decorations and inscriptions that adorn its walls.

The plan of the gate takes the form of a cross, and its sides are covered with cylindrical vaults and half a dome, while the square central part was covered with a dome that is likely to be made of wood. Other windows are smaller.

Temple of Hercules

The historic Temple of Hercules Amman is located near the Amman Citadel, and it is the most important Roman building dating back to the second century AD. The area of the temple is 720 square meters, and its external walls extend to 8712 square meters, and its portico contains six columns with a height of 10 meters.

The Temple of Hercules Amman is considered one of the important tourist places in Amman, Jordan, if not at the top of the list of distinctive tourist places in Jordan in general. This giant stone statue, identified as a statue of Hercules, was more than 12 meters high.

The Roman structure is considered a historical and most important site on the Citadel Mountain according to the existing inscriptions. The temple was built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Aurelius, and Gemini Marciano was the ruler of the Arab province at that time 162-166. In the same period, the Roman theater was built, and it is one of the best places you can visit .

Byzantine church

At the top of the mountain, there are the remains of a Byzantine church dating back to the sixth century AD, ponds and wells. Next to the Umayyad palace, there is a pond carved into the rock, in addition to many rocks - drilling wells from the Umayyad era.

The Byzantine Church, which was discovered by chance years ago while paving one of the main streets, will not remain a historical landmark and witness to the many peoples and eras that passed through this region that connects Palestine, Egypt and Syria, and it is now facing the danger of neglect and loss.

  Because the failure of the excavations, cleaning, preservation and protection of the antiquities will be a sufficient reason for the disappearance of this treasure in the sands that were found, and a Byzantine church is one of the best places to visit in the Citadel Mountain.

Towers and railings

And because the mountain has a military and strategic status, it was surrounded by a huge and high wall, and was topped by ten-meter-high watchtowers.

Jordan Archaeological Museum

The Jordan Antiquities Museum is located at the top of the Citadel Mountain in the center of Amman, in one of the oldest inhabited places in the world, where there are two historical sites next to the museum, the Roman Temple of Hercules dating back to the eighth century AD, and the Umayyad Palace dating back to the eighth century AD, and the museum was built In 1951 A.D.

in which artifacts from different locations in Jordan, dating back to prehistoric times until the fifteenth century, were displayed, and the artifacts are classified in chronological order, because the museum includes tools of daily life from previous eras, such as: pottery, glass, And metal, and flint, and many other art objects, such as:

• Glass, flint and metal.

• Crockery.

• Art items such as figurines and jewelry.

• coins.

• Dead Sea Scrolls.

What is the classification of the castle mountain?

The Citadel Mountain is classified as one of the most important archaeological and historical sites in Jordan, along with Petra, Jerash, Umm Qais and other sites that include treasures of artistic and historical value that reflect the greatness and importance of the cultural and human heritage in Jordan

as the Ammonites took it since ancient times as the seat of their rule in the city, and after them the Greeks and Romans And the Byzantines, during whose reign Oman flourished and built enormous Byzantine theaters, temples and baths, all to the Arab era, when the Umayyads built the Umayyad palace and minted there.

Amman Citadel became the seat of the capital of the Ammonites, where the remains of the Ammonite palaces still exist, including the walls of the huge citadel walls that served as their headquarters, and wells carved in limestone and containing Islamic monuments dating back to the Umayyad era. In addition, the Jordan Archaeological Museum is located in The top of the mountain, which summarizes the history of Jordan in general and Oman in particular.

At the end of the article, we have talked about the specifications of the Citadel Mountain and all the important information related to it, in addition to the archaeological sites that visitors can visit.