Location: Amman Citadel, Amman
Temple of Hercules (Herakles) is an ancient Greek religious building built in the Amman Citadel in 162- 66 AD during reign of Ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Shrine was dedicated to mythical Greek hero Hercules. Roman legions particularly revered Hercules as a symbol of strength and courage. Thus many warrior brought their money and their prayers to a shrine that eventually became the largest pagan temple in the city. Temple of Hercules is a rectangular building stood on a high pedestal above surrounding city. Entrance was crowned by a triangular pediment resting on rows of columns. In the ancient times Temple of Hercules was surrounded by 33 columns. Today only few remain standing. The entrance of the Temple of Hercules is marked by two restored columns. Walls and interior of the Temple of Hercules are largely demolished so it is hard to tell what it looked like in the ancient times. It is certain that temple contained a massive statue of a mythical hero Hercules. It didn't survive. Only remains of his fingers and possibly his knee survive today. Judging by their size the statues must have been enormous in size. Most of ancient stones were quarried by later generations of Amman residents who used stone from old pagan temple to construct nearby Umayyad Mosque.