Check In: Fairmont Amman
By Renée Morrison
The Citadel, a national historic site in the center of Amman made up of temple ruins dating back to the Roman era, has attracted archaeologists since the 1920s, but a large portion still remains unexcavated. Noteworthy discoveries include the stone columns of the Roman Temple of Hercules (built between 161 and 180 AD) and the domed Umayyad Palace (circa 730 AD). But perhaps most striking is the Hand of Hercules, a fragment that belonged to an enormous marble sculpture of the mythological hero erected along with his temple. The figure is believed to have come crashing down during one of the region’s periodic earthquakes, and while the rest of Hercules is rumored to have been repurposed into marble countertops throughout Amman, these three digits remain – making it one of the city’s most mysterious attractions, hands down.