Amman Citadel
Located on a hill in the centre of downtown Amman, this L-shaped citadel is on one of the seven mountains that make up Amman. There is evidence that this has been occupied since the Neolithic period. It was inhabited by great civilisations and by a wide variety of different people and cultures, up to the time of the Umayyads when it started to decline. Around 1878 this former city was abandoned and became a pile of ruins. However, it was sporadically used by the Bedouin and local farmers.
Most of the buildings that are still standing reflect architecture from the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad periods. Among the most important buildings on the site include the Temple of Hercules, a Byzantine church, and the Umayyad Palace. The Amman Citadel is also home to the Jordan Archaeological Museum which exhibits a vast collection of artifacts not only from the Citadel, but also from the country’s other historic sites.