Area C, the Museum site, the Fortification Walls, the Temple of Hercules, and the Umayyad Palace structures on the north part of the Citadel all suffered damage from earthquakes in the mid-8th century CE (Northedge and Bennett 1992: 158).

Excavations reported by Almagro et al. (2000) in Building F of the Umayyad Palace on the north part of the Amman Citadel revealed that the structure suffered devastating effects. Roofs, arches, and façades collapsed, leaving rubble deposits more than a meter deep in some areas. Pottery recovered from the destruction layers supports a mid-8th century CE date: the ceramic assemblage includes material from the second half of the Umayyad period, along with a few rare glazed pieces. These glazed wares, exceptionally uncommon in Umayyad contexts, are characteristic of the final decade of the dynasty and mark the transitional phase into Abbasid ceramic traditions. The destruction was interpreted as having occurred instantaneously. Structurally vulnerable areas—such as the courtyard and the two iwans—collapsed inward, generating deep rubble layers composed of ashlar, mortar, and vault debris. Not all rooms were equally affected; some areas showed little or no damage.

Almagro et al. (2000) also report that the porticoes and architraves of the Temple of Hercules were destroyed in the same event.

Northedge and Bennett (1992: 157) noted that Building B of Area C and the Museum site both showed evidence of structural collapse, with one victim—a skeleton—found in Building B of Area C. Excavations conducted by Harding (1951) beneath the future site of the Jordan Archaeological Museum on the Amman Citadel revealed multiple Early Umayyad structures that preserved signs of structural failure. The area included a courtyard and several rooms of a large domestic building, with standing walls up to 2.1 m high. In Rooms L and M, ground-floor arches had collapsed into the basement level, while the basement arches remained intact—evidence consistent with seismic ground shaking. In Room H, wall collapse was inferred from fragments of a sandstone fire altar found scattered from floor level up to 40 cm above it, likely displaced when a shelf and adjacent wall failed. Harding associated this collapse with a structural event that caused the altar to fall.

Further evidence came in the form of rebuilding activity. Northedge and Bennett (1992: 157) report restorations made to the fortification walls of the Citadel and to Umayyad structures on its northern side. Following the earthquake, Almagro et al. (2000) describe reoccupation and restructuring of Building F on the north part of the Citadel: vaulted ceilings were replaced by flat roofs supported by short beams, and partition walls were rebuilt using reused masonry bonded with clay rather than lime mortar. The original courtyard was transformed into a semi-public space, surrounded by subdivided domestic units reflecting a shift from palatial to residential use.

Northedge and Bennett (1992: 158) also observed that the “areas which appear to have suffered most damage (Area C, the Museum site, the fortification wall, and the North Building)” were all built on fills, while “structures which were little damaged—the Reception Hall and Area B—are built directly on bedrock, or close to it.” This suggests that seismic amplification due to a low shear velocity surface layer was operative during this earthquake.