With human traces dating as far back as the Bronze Age (1650-1550 BC), the Amman Citadel in Jordan has been the site of a significant number of remarkable civilizations including the Romans, Byzantines, Persians, and Greeks.
"Are you having fun so far Sir?" He asks me as we are cruising around the fabulous city of Amman en route to our next destination. "Of course!" I reply to my appointed driver, travel guide, plus assistant photographer without hesitation. In a foreign land, I'm fortunate to have hired someone with 3 roles packaged as one. But most of all, I gained a new friend.
My companion is a Jordanian citizen, probably in his early 60s, medium-built, warm, cheerful, simply a kind person with a humble disposition. We've been together for the past days busily exploring marvelous gastronomic, cultural, and historical treasures, which his country has been tremendously blessed with.
Built Environments of Amman, capital city of Jordan
Houses and Buildings perched on the Hills of Amman
In Episode 9 of Architecture Moments™, we're going to discover the amazing splendor of Jordan, particularly the historical ruins of the Citadel in Amman, an L-shaped hill recognized to be part of the city's original geographical terrain. So, stay with me and get ready as we unravel the mysteries of this exquisite landmark.
Stairway to Heaven?
We had to drive all the way up to this remarkable elevated location. Walking or climbing uphill would probably be exhausting, taking an enormous amount of effort since this site is situated 850 meters (2,788 feet) above sea level. As the prevailing temperature here is quite chilly due to its altitude, coupled with breezy winds, it would certainly be helpful to wrap yourself with an appropriate coat, sweater, or jacket.
Positioned in the downtown area, the Amman Citadel towers over the vibrant metropolis while nested majestically on top of the city's highest hill called Jebel Al Qala’a. From a geographical perspective, it was a strategic center for human habitation to oversee the entire urban landscape.
Historically, the city of Amman was originally called Rabbath Ammon, when translated means the royal ancient city of the Ammonites.
These early settlers occupied this kingdom during the Iron Age. However, it was during the Bronze Age (around 1800 BCE) that the initial fortification was constructed. The site's architecture experienced several renovations encompassing civilizations from the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine, and Umayyad periods. Only a few remnants from the Bronze Age have been unearthed due to the successive occupations of later eras.
Basic Floor Plan of the Amman Citadel | Source
During my architectural explorations of the Amman Citadel, the points of interest below were the core attractions, as viewed on the floor plan and site map. We shall investigate these amazing features, consisting of buildings, columns, and ruins one by one.
- Elevated Urban Panoramas
- Temple of Hercules
- Byzantine Church
- Museum Area
- Umayyad Palace Dome and Grounds
But first, let's take the time to appreciate the landmark's welcome monument at the entry gates. Despite not being the main attractions, these large standing tablets are also important because they emphasize the different former names of the city plus the time capsules of the site's established existence.
The land area of the Citadel was humongous! The entire complex was surrounded by a 1700 meter long wall that's traced back to the Bronze Age. It looked like my tour guide and I had to do a lot of walking to cover all the significant highlights. Although the exploration by foot appeared like a daunting mission, the current weather was comfortable, thus allowing us to move ahead.
Elevated Urban Panoramas
"Isn't that city skyline breathtaking?" I screamed from the top of my voice. From where I was standing, you could already adore the beauty of Amman's urban landscape. Rows of magnificent houses, buildings, and structures lined up the hilly terrains as they glittered under the sunny sky. An architectural visual feast indeed!
From that vantage point, I also got a glimpse of the lower citadel and its sloping edge towards the lower levels. It seemed like some restoration works and excavations were ongoing.
In fact, one interesting report by the Great Amman Municipality claimed that a rock-hewn cave out of limestone was discovered by accident in 2012 while they were conducting maintenance routines and road repairs.
To their surprise, two limestone sarcophagi dating from the Roman era were unearthed there. They were believed to be one of many types of stone coffins as part of the burial traditions recognized by the Romans in the Near East or their core place of origin. How incredible is that?
Spectacular Views of the Lower Citadel
Breathtaking Views of Amman's Eastern Side
The metropolis below was a marvelous sight to behold! With wide-sweeping views of the entire city, who wouldn’t be flabbergasted? My visit had just commenced, yet I was already blown away by the landmark's visual pleasures. Facing the southern direction offered the most spectacular 180-degree panorama. A viewing platform had been specially built there for that heavenly experience.
From that perched spot, you could clearly see the famous Roman Theater, a 6,000-seat amphitheater that dated back to the second century.
From my elevated position, the said structure definitely looked tiny. Other fabulous attractions, ruins, and places can also be witnessed, but if you don't mind, I'll save the rest for future stories.
Amman City Views with the Roman Theater in the Background
Box-like Buildings and Distinctive Architecture of Amman
Scenic Panoramas of the City of Amman
The majority of the buildings I've seen were typically box-like or in some way had rectangular geometries. However, to neutralize the appearance of a concrete jungle, at least patches of foliage and other green spaces with trees, shrubs, and plants were also distributed in certain areas. If not, it would probably have been a boring environment.
Temple of Hercules
Our next stop was considered to be the most significant Roman landmark in the Amman Citadel. Based on a preserved inscription, the Temple of Hercules was constructed during the reign of Geminius Marcianus, the governor of the province of Arabia (161–166 AD), around the same time as Amman's Roman Theater.
Information Board of the Temple of Hercules
This ancient structure measured approximately 30 x 24 meters (98 x 79 feet) wide including an outer enclosure with dimensions spanning 121 x 72 meters (397 x 236 feet). Its main facade or portico consisted of 6 massive columns 10 meters (33 feet) in height.
Recent investigations by archaeologists speculated that this historical building was not probably completed due to the absence of other column remains in the vicinity.
Additionally, this specific spot contained the remnants of the colossal stone statue of Hercules: only 3 fingers and an elbow. It had an estimated height of over 12 meters (39 feet) but was said to have been demolished by an earthquake in the past.
To give you an idea of what this tremendous monument would have looked like, here's a computer rendering showing its proposed architectural perspective.
Virtual Digital Visualization of the Temple of Hercules | Source
The Temple of Hercules is likely the most recognizable monument within the citadel complex. With its towering pillars, it was easy for me, or anyone for that matter, to pinpoint its exact location. Because this was supposed to be the most important exhibit there, I took my time in studying the place, touching the stone's textures, gazing at the column details, feeling the atmosphere, and imagining myself as a Roman resident during that era. As an Architect, this was my usual behavior whenever I stumbled upon crucial relics of architecture. Call me weird, but I'm simply obsessed with influentially interesting sites of history and culture.
Byzantine Church
Not too far away, a short walk from the Temple of Hercules, was an ancient place of worship said to have been constructed during the 6th century AD.
Although this religious edifice only had a few columns and foundations left, the Byzantine Church breathed out a fascinating atmosphere. I was left trying to picture in my mind what this building could have been like.
This existing ruin was designed with a basilica plan consisting of a central nave with 2 side aisles. Facing the eastern side, its semi-circular apse was divided from the church with a chancel screen. Columns with Corinthian capitals were extracted from the Temple of Hercules for this basilica. Its aisles were decorated with flagstones while the central nave had mosaic floors, a common architectural feature during the Byzantine period.
Information Board of the Byzantine Church
Like any sacred relic of influential origins, the Byzantine Church was still an architectural masterpiece. Leftover evidence on the site had shown the intricacy of the details involved in its splendid construction. My eyes were glued at the fine craftsmanship of its various stone carvings.
Museum Area
"Hey, do you have more information about this section here?" I asked my travel guide as we walked past a group of unfinished columns.
"No Sir. But I think this space was reserved for the site's archaeological museum," he replied while scratching his head. He wasn’t sure about his answer either.
Area intended for the Site Museum (To be Verified)
I tried searching online but there was no available data describing this particular area. Or perhaps, I could have mistaken this location for something else? (If anyone out there who has already been to this place can shed some light on this subject, I'd truly appreciate sharing your knowledge and experiences in the comments.)
Umayyad Palace Dome and Grounds
We didn't linger long at the museum area and proceeded right away to our final landmark featured at the citadel site. The location is isolated, further away from the Byzantine Church and the Temple of Hercules down south.
Nestled on the northwestern end of the historical estate, the Umayyad Palace is one of the most outstanding complexes in Amman.
Constructed around 724 and 743 CE during the leadership of Caliph Hisham, it's one of the characteristic Umayyad landmarks in the area. In my initial approach, the first feature that greeted me was its distinctive arched entrance doorway and grayish-blue colored dome.
I had the impression that the area surrounding the dome was small. Until I proceeded inside. OMG, it was a completely different experience from the outdoors! Despite being in a state of damage, the interior space directly under the dome, known as the Audience Room or Assembly Hall was absolutely impressive. This was the main vestibule of the palace and was undergoing a restoration process.
Inside the Main Vestibule of the Umayyad Palace
Inside were visually striking rows of stucco mini colonnades and geometric patterns, all extremely delicate and reminisced of Persian architecture. Amazingly, like the Byzantine Church, the entire space was designed with a Latin Cross floor plan. As I looked up, my eyes were immediately fixated on the glorious details of the wooden dome's supporting components. It must have taken hundreds of focused man-hours to craft such an intricate architectural masterpiece like that! Do you think so too?
Spacious Assembly Hall of the Umayyad Palace
Wooden Dome of the Umayyad Palace
If this was the first room where royalty, guests, and visitors were warmly welcomed to the palace grounds and estate, without a doubt, it was definitely successful in achieving its primary design purpose.
As I walked further within the depths of the palace interiors, I could not visualize how the other spaces inside were arranged due to their dilapidated conditions. But, according to the site plan, the palatial complex housed a bathhouse, residential chambers, throne room, courtyard, and cistern, built around 720 AD.
Together with my tour guide, wandering around the remaining palace grounds was a thrilling experience as we were about to end our discovery of the Amman Citadel. Such a tiresome historical escapade, however, it was a satisfying endeavor. With smiles on our faces, we conversed a lot, shared jokes, and recapped the day's events as we walked back to our car.
Architectural Ruins Never Cease to Amaze Me
The Amman Citadel is merely one of the plethoras of heritage attractions all over the world that I've had the opportunity to appreciate and explore in person. However, if there was one defining feature that made this ancient landmark truly adventurous, that would be its special location on top of one of the city's 7 hills or "jebels".
Not only was I able to discover a whole new world from the distant past in the form of the Amman Citadel, but I was also lavishly treated to the stunning panoramas, visual delights, and remarkable architecture of Amman, Jordan's capital city. Now, should I rephrase that as "hitting 2 birds with 1 stone"? You bet.
#Hive, what can you say about Amman Citadel's architecture? Do historical sites like this resonate with you? Which specific area on this heritage landmark caught your attention? Share your insights and let's talk in the comments.
Hello dear @storiesoferne Wow! Have you done the world tour? This place is historically amazing.
I appreciate the way you start the publication by knitting a scenario. It is really captivating and enduring.
The place is as amazing as your guide/ companion for the trip is. It is wonderful as you go around the globe and meet with people from different cultures, it's really fascinating.
Looking forward to read about your another travel venture. Have a great weekend :)
Greetings my dear Sahiba @sahiba-rana. Actually, there are still more countries that I haven't been to. So this wouldn't be a world tour just yet, haha. 🤣 I'm truly glad this post's story style has inspired you to discover more architectural treasures our planet has in store for us. No worries, your best time will come when you get to experience various cultures that capture your imagination, curiosity, and interest. Have an awesome weekend! 😊
Wow, dear friend @storiesoferne. what an exciting adventure you lived. The city of Amman is really amazing and fascinating. Of all the tour you managed to do what impacted me the most was the dome, I was shocked, because despite all the time it has been built it is still well preserved and beautiful. I imagine that this trip you made was an experience that you would like to live again, I loved it. Thank you for sharing your beautiful tour with us.
Definitely @carmary. Thank you for taking the time to experience my architectural explorations of the Amman Citadel. Many readers were also captivated by the Dome of the Umayyad Palace because of its striking details and pristine condition. Despite being a renovated replica, it appeared like the real thing. Ruins of architecture have always fascinated me and I'll share more of these related stories in the future. Have an awesome day! 😊
Thanks to you for sharing this beautiful journey. Greetings and a hug.
With pleasure @carmary. Warm greetings and a virtual hug. 😊
Thank you for a wonderful trip!
Hello @rosanna-brava. I'm glad you enjoyed my architectural travel story. Best regards. 😊
Hello friend Erne @storiesoferne I greet you with respect from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. As you know my comments, sometimes, extend and this post gives enough reason to write several lines, however, today I will not do it, I will just summarize my comment with this sentence: Wonderful!
Receive a strong spiritual hug full of blessings, positive energy and lots of light. NOTE: As always your photographs are excellent and the narration goes up. Thank you.
Hello, my friend Marcos @marcosmilano71. That's alright. The length of the comment doesn't matter but the sincere gesture of writing it with love. Thank you so much for appreciating plus investing your time in this publication. Happy that you enjoyed my architectural adventures at the Amman Citadel. Have a fantastic week ahead. Best of blessings. Take care. 😊
I think that as valuable as the experience itself, is the enthusiasm with which it is enjoyed and, above all, with which it is transmitted. And in this sense, I must congratulate you, because your chronicle convinces. Within the whole cluster of transmitted sensations, your mention of the accidental discovery of a cave with two Roman sarcophagi particularly strikes me. And I imagine that, just as providence wanted that discovery to be made, it is possibly an indication that what we see in the light of the sun is possibly a tiny part of everything that is still hidden. Regarding the remains of the Byzantine basilica, reading in your chronicle, which was from the 6th century, I already imagined it as similar to the Visigothic ones, whose remains do not differ much from those you show us in your magnificent photographs. Obviously, without detracting from the spectacular nature of the Temple of Hercules, I was impressed by the Umayyad Palace, the characteristics of whose frontispiece could well be taken, at first glance, as Byzantine influence, due to the blinded arcosolia or windows and their corresponding capitals. I'm sorry I extended my comment, but what you shared with us seemed like a great adventure. An affectionate greeting.
No worries dear friend @juancar347. I've actually learned significant knowledge from your interestingly long comments. They are like mini blog posts to me where valuable information, insights, and experiences are created and distributed to others. Sometimes the fun lies in its contents, different from the main body of the publication itself.
Thank you very much for your sincere appreciation of my historical exploration of the Amman Citadel. As you are also an architectural explorer, we definitely share the same passion for the investigation of ancient habitats, ruins, and heritage buildings. I'm glad you found this post beneficial to your education, inspiration, and entertainment. Receive my warmest greetings. 😊
Oh my, This was an amazing trip. You got me glued again from start to finish and you virtually brought me to the places that you visited. I learned a lot about Amman today. Thank you @storiesoferne.
Hello @afterglow. You're most welcome, and it's always my pleasure to create stories that educate, inspire, and entertain you. Glad you enjoyed the virtual tour of the Amman Citadel. Warmest regards. 😊
Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1469.
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Hello @livinguktaiwan @pinmapple. Grateful for the mention, and thank you as always for the support. More power to your team! 😊
Ah!!! I remember going to the Citadel on my first day in Amman. We walked there ourselves under the scorching sun, so didn't stay too long. That said, we were really impressive with it as it was our first experience with these ancient ruins in Jordan, but it got better and better for us as the days went by during the rest of our trip.
thanks for the great memories
Hey, that's wonderful Pauline. We do have cherished memories to share about our Jordanian adventures. When you said that you walked there yourselves, do you mean just walking on the Citadel site or did you start walking from the lower downtown streets of Amman going up to the landmark?
We caught a taxi going up from the hotel, wandered around by ourselves and walked back down to the city afterwards. We had just arrived in Jordan the night before, and had booked a private car hire and driver to take us around the rest of the country. He charged by the day, so we decided to do Amman by ourselves because we wanted to relax a bit before we started the rest of our journey which was quite a packed one. We even went to Jerash ourselves, I mean by taxi of course, that was really fascinating. Did you go?
Oh alright, I understand. Riding a taxi or any vehicle for that matter to reach the elevated Citadel would surely save time and energy. I'd also imagine your walk downhill back to downtown Amman wouldn't be as exhausting compared to ascending to the site by foot.
During my visit, I hired a local driver/tour guide who took me around the country. Due to time constraints, Jerash was not included in our itinerary. But I got to experience Petra, the Dead Sea, Madaba, Mount Nebo, Baptism Site of Jesus at the Jordan River, and other interesting locations which I'll share on Hive in the future. 😊
It´s amazing to be reminded how rich our history truly is and what kind of amazing buildings our ancestors were able to build that are still recognizable today. Thanks for this :-)
Greetings @timoremoti. Exactly. Humanity has a wealth of historical treasures, most especially architectural relics that continue to fascinate us until today. As primitive as their construction technologies were in the past, we have learned to develop their strengths and build a sustainable future. Heritage buildings certainly never cease to amaze us. Thanks for visiting my post. 😊
It is impressive how you can appreciate the vestiges of these ancient civilisations, where different cultures were present and each of these civilisations gave their contributions to the development of human progress in all senses. Greetings and thank you for sharing this publication, it is simply like travelling and being in that place.
Indeed, without truly appreciating our historical treasures of architecture, there's no way we could have achieved our current building technologies. Everything has to start somewhere, right? And as humble as the beginnings of the Amman Citadel were, it has taught us to learn from the past, and improve from it for present and future applications. Thank you @wilfredocav for experiencing my architectural story and for sharing your beautiful insights. 😊
You have a very amazing journey with impressive ancient jordan architecture and all the buildings look to save the story with the view of the city also looks so beautiful and the architectural beauty of the interior design of the building, makes me speechless 😍
Hi @deltasteem. I'm delighted that you had fun with my architectural investigation of the Amman Citadel plus the stunning panoramas of the city. Thank you for reading, and providing your positive feedback. Cheers! 😊
Hello dear friend Erne, what I liked most about your post, apart from your writing, are the photos of the ruins of Jordan, especially the Dom, both outside and inside. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your experiences as an architect and writer.
Greetings dear friend Benjamin. Thank you so much for your sincere appreciation. The architectural ruins of the Amman Citadel are indeed mind-blowing and would fascinate enthusiasts like you. It's always a pleasure to share my travel experiences covering architecture with the community. Receive my warmest regards. 😊
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Impressive places, what a good walk you gave yourself.
They are places that the bible describes but thanks to digitization we can appreciate them as they were before.
I was surprised by that wooden dome, is it made of wood?
Cheers
Indeed @jhonnygo. With today's digital technology, we are fortunate to experience architectural relics from the past, although virtual but close to the actual events themselves. Thank you for your appreciation.
As for the dome interior of the Umayyad Palace, I believe the majority of the construction materials used were wooden elements. If you zoom in on that specific photo in my post, you'll clearly see it. What were your initial impressions?
Impressive restoration work on the dome and the rest of the structure, you can see the difference.
What has never been clear to me or I do not see it well, is my opinion, it is the restoration of the ruins.
For me, it no longer has the charm of ruin, it's just my opinion, greetings.
That's alright. During my visit, the restoration efforts were not obvious to the public as only a few specialists were working on the site. I almost haven't noticed them. Thank you for your personal opinion and observations. 😊
Thank you Erne for sharing the built environment and unique architecture building at Amman Citadel of Jordan. These cultural and historical masterpieces by the ancestor are recognizable until now.
Hello Cherry @cherryng, how sweet of you to drop by. Yes, the Amman Citadel may be an architectural relic, but it's an ancient masterpiece worth appreciating. Thank you for your wonderful remarks. Take care, my friend. 😊
Jordan is truly a colorful Arab state with many attractions. It seems to me that being there is like being in another world. Wow, I can imagine how many emotions you experienced during your acquaintance with the cital of Amman. The view of the east side of Amman from above is amazing. The remains of the Temple of Hercules especially impressed me. Especially their digital imaging. It would be interesting to see what Byzantine Church supposedly looked like. Stunning photos. Thank you for an interesting virtual tour!😊
Hello @danny.green. Certainly. Jordan is one of the countries in the world that has a plethora of historical treasures of architecture. I could live there for months just to satisfy my curiosity about its ancient splendor.
Yes, it's fascinating to witness computer renderings of recreated heritage buildings for us to have an idea of their final appearance. There was available online information for the Temple of Hercules but none so far for the Byzantine Church. Perhaps someday, there would be more data on this. Thank you for your appreciation, as always. Cheers! 😊
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Greetings, friend @storiesoferne. I've been a bit inactive and a few hours ago I tried to get active with a community post but something went wrong and I had to delete it. I just hope to submit it this day. In the meantime I have read your post and those of other friends that are well worth a stop. Without further ado, your experience touched me and no wonder because you have had a true religious experience in Jordan. To be in the Amman Citadel, to step and breathe that place in the midst of ruins is to transport you body and soul to a time as ancient as any before Christ. It is to be at the origins of the history of man and architecture. That is the most wonderful thing, to appreciate and try to think and understand the life of the builders of that place. Trying to know what happened and who went through it, in these millennia that have passed until today. You ran with good fortune to meet a kind guide who made the trip more pleasant and did not ruin your moments of happiness. That is to be celebrated as well. I wish you well with your family. Greetings and blessings!
No worries @sorprendente. Thank you again for your active contribution and participation in our beloved community. I'm also grateful to you for taking the time to appreciate and indulge in my architectural tour of the Amman Citadel. Hope to see more of your awesome posts soon. Have fun! 😊
That's right my friend. Have fun 😊 By the way friend @storiesoferne, I'm happy with my Architecture+Design badge on my profile. Thank you very much, that makes me very very happy 😁
With great pleasure friend @sorprendente. You deserve that beautiful badge. Keep up the awesome publications. 😊