Temple of the Winged Lions

The Winged Lion Temple is a spectacular Nabatean temple complex situated in Petra's Sacred Quarter. It was built in the 1st century AD and is called so because of the winged lion capitals atop most columns here. Since it is on an elevated platform, the temple offers beautiful views of the surroundings.

The entrance to the Temple of the Winged Lione is through a double colonnade and leads to a cellar or an inner chamber which is flanked by columns. This chamber has a raised podium which perhaps held the statue that was the temple’s spiritual focus. Its walls (which contain niches that held idols and figurines) and columns are known for their beautifully carved floral and figurative designs. While there is doubt about the temple’s principal deities, it is believed that it could be the supreme Goddess al-Uzza or the fertility Goddess Atargatis. The Winged Lion Temple has been the site of many excavations, and a lot of the decorative stones and other artefacts are on display at the Petra Visitor Centre.