Colonnade Street and Temenos Gate

The valley is crossed for its entire length by a wide Colonnade Street, parallel to the river. Built in the 2nd century AD by the Romans it is thought to be prevalently for ceremonial use, due to the absence of cart furrows, and would be flanked by seventy-two columns. It replaced the original Nabataean Street. The south side would have been an almost uninterrupted row of shops, the northern side probably hid the irregular buildings behind it.

At the western end of the Colonnade Street was the monumental Temenos Gate, which gave access into the sacred enclosure surrounding the city's main sanctuary known as Qasr al-Bint. The gate, which collapsed during an earthquake, has had recent restoration.Read more