A vast Nabataean public complex south of the colonnaded street, excavated by Brown University from the 1990s. The main building covered more than 7,000 square metres, with a central temple-like structure flanked by smaller rooms and a small theatre or council chamber tucked behind. Whether it was a religious temple or a civic building remains disputed.
The visible remains include an elegant lower courtyard with hexagonal paving, the bases of double-storey colonnades, and Asian-style elephant-headed column capitals — a sign of how far Nabataean trade connections reached. Worth twenty minutes; the elephant capital on display in the small site shelter is the highlight.