Roman Amphitheatre was constructed during reign of Ancient Roman emperor Antonius Pius who ruled in 138- 61 AD. Today it seats in the center of Amman. It is one of the largest Amphitheatres in the Middle East. Roman Amphitheatre was designed to seat about 6,000 spectators, most of Amman residents of its day. The site of this cultural venue was chosen wisely. On one hand it was constructed facing North and thus sun's rays did not blind spectators watching the show. On the other hand most of Amphitheatre was cut into a natural cliff side. It reduced amount of work needed to construct this magnificent theater and secured the structure against multiple earthquakes that hit Amman over a course of centuries. During medieval times an underground tunnel was dug from Amman Roman Amphitheatre to the Amman Citadel.
Entrance was surrounded by majestic columns of the ancient Roman Forum, was built later. Unfortunately curtain behind the scene was largely destroyed by human and natural forces. Spectator seats on the other hand was preserved almost in its original appearance.
Currently Roman Amphitheatre is one of the main attraction of Amman. The best time to visit this ancient theater is in the morning hours, when it is relatively empty. Roman Amphitheatre still hosts public performances that vary by months of the year.