File:Petra Temple of the Winged Lions 2321.jpg

English: A view towards the Great Temple along a side of the Temple of the Winged Lions. Temple of the Winged Lions. 25-75 AD. In its simple rectangular layout the Temple of the Winged Lions is a modest construction, consisting of two rooms: a temple proper and a shallow entry porch. The focus of worship is a square elevated altar platform (motab) bordered by twelve freestanding columns. Two addition rows of columns separate the temple’s remaining floor space into narrow bays. Architectural traces indicate that the sanctuary’s interior was lavishly decorated with brightly painted and molded plaster. An inscribed limestone plaque with a stylized female face, uncovered within the temple, reveals that the object of worship was a goddess, perhaps one of the most important deities, Al ‘Uzza. An unusual feature of the temple complex is its adjoining workshops – for grinding pigment, working marble, processing oil and hammering metal. Such activities may have helped to finance the temple’s religious operations. The sanctuary takes its name from the ornamental winged felines that decorate its column capitals. Text from notice on site.