The 'Great Temple' complex, which covers 7560 square meters, is by far Petra's largest building. It is accessed via a monumental entryway, or propylaeum, and has two successive open-air sections at varying elevations. The lower precinct consisted of a large paved courtyard flanked on each side by triple colonnades. Each housed 60 columns made of carved drums, with imported limestone capitals adorned with carved elephant heads, exotic symbols of power. A number have been partially re-erected. Excavations have revealed that the upper precinct, accessed by a pair of monumental stairways, featured a small open-air theater with semi-circular tiered seating. Its small size and layout suggest that it may have been designed as a council chamber or a judicial

assembly hall. The presence of this theater and the adjoining columned courtyard suggests that the building served primarily as a civic complex under the patronage of the Nabataean royal house. The structure’s downtown location outside the Qasr al-Bint temple precinct points strongly to its secular function, although religious activities may also have taken place in this grand complex. The Great Temple Complex also includes a subterranean drainage system, baths discovered in the temple's west, and a workshop for producing plaster molds was discovered at the south end.