The Temple of Artemis was the largest temple in the ancient city of Gerasa. It is approached through the Propylaeum (150 CE), which leads to a massive staircase of 7 flights of 7 steps, rebuilt in the 1930s. At the top is a terrace with the foundations of an open-air altar, with another staircase leading to the
tenemos, or sacred courtyard, with the remains of a small 6th century church in the southern part. The temple sits in an open precinct 160 x 120 m, surrounded by colonnades. In front of the temple are the remains of a second open-air altar, along with ruins of later Byzantine and Umayyad pottery kilns and workshops.
The temple sits on a high platform with underground vaults. Wings projecting east originally framed a broad staircase approaching the portico, which has been replaced with a modern narrower staircase. The portico has a double row of six limestone Corinthian columns each. The cella, or inner sanctum, is today exposed but would have been surrounded by a peristyle of 11 columns on the long sides and 6 on the short. The inner walls of the cella would have been decorated with slabs of marble, removed during the Byzantine era to be used in churches. At the back is the niche that housed the image of Artemis, daughter of Zeus.
Some elements of the temple's entablature and roofing have never been founded, suggesting that it was unfinished.
Sources:
Rollin, Sue, and Jane Streetly. Jordan, 87-88. London: A. & C. Black, 2001.
Teller, Matthew. Jordan, 167-168. London: Rough Guides, 2002.
