Excavations reported by Almagro et al. (2000) in Building F of the Umayyad Palace at the Amman Citadel revealed that the structure suffered the devastating effects of a mid-8th century CE earthquake. Roofs, arches, and façades collapsed, leaving rubble deposits more than a meter deep in some areas. Pottery recovered from the destruction layers supports this dating: 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. Citing Northedge (1992), they note that in Sector C of the citadel, two Umayyad houses were also severely damaged—one of which contained a human skeleton.

Following the earthquake, Building F was reoccupied and restructured. Vaulted ceilings were replaced by flat roofs supported by short beams. Partition walls were built 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 that reflect a shift from palatial to residential use.

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 excavated area included a courtyard and multiple rooms of a large domestic building, with standing walls reaching up to 2.1 m in height.

In Rooms L and M, ground floor arches had collapsed into the basement level, while the basement arches remained intact. This pattern of selective failure suggests damage 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.

Russell (1985) cites these observations by Harding (1951) as evidence of Umayyad-period structural collapse, likely resulting from the mid-8th century CE earthquake known to have devastated Amman and other Levantine cities.