The minimal ruins of this Roman temple date from the end of the 3rd century AD (two niches contained statues of the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximilian), and you'll also find other Roman and Byzantine buildings here. None of the ruins are signposted. The site is accessible by minibus from Karak, 16km south, but is best visited as a 15-minute stop en route between Madaba and Karak.
The holy and historic city of Ar Rabba came under the rule of King Mesha (9th century BC), then Alexander the Great (mid-4th century BC) and later the Nabataeans (from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD). The Greeks named it Areopolis after Ares, the god of war, and the Romans based their Arab governorate here.
