NABATEAN TEMPLE

The ruins of the marble-columned Nabatean temple date back to the 14th century BC, and are believed to have been dedicated to the deities Atargatis (goddess of foliage and fruit) and Hadad (god of the thunderbolt). However, archaeologists have found relics associated with many gods and goddesses at the site. Also referred to as Khirbet al-Tannur, the temple was built on the edge of a steep bluff, with access limited to the southern flank. Many remains are at Amman’s Archeological Museum. 

Within the construction materials of the Nabataean temple was a stone that was reused from a previous structure. This stone contained a Thamudic inscription referring to the construction of a sanctuary (house) for Lat, (a god) done by a member of a local tribe. The main Nabataean temple was later erected around the first century BC. A wall at the rear of the temple seems to be the last part built, and has been dated to the end of the first century AD. A Latin inscription was attached to an alter, indicating that the temple was in use in the first half of the third century.