Palmyra's theatre, lies on the south side of the street accessed between two arches in the colonnade. Until the 1950s it was buried beneath sand but since then has been extensively restored.
Beneath the platforms on many of the columns are inscriptions with names for the statues that once stood there: representations of prominent people including emperors, princes of Palmyra, magistrates, officials, high-ranking priests and caravan chiefs.
The freestanding stage façade of the theatre itself is designed along the lines of a palace entrance, complete with a royal door and smaller doors on either side. From the rear of the theatre, a pillared way once led south to a gate in the city walls dating from the era of Justinian. North of this pillared way are the substantial remains of the Tariff Court and agora.
