[2] The temple was dedicated to Nabu, the Babylonian deity of oracles,[3] of wisdom and writing, identified in the Greco-Roman pantheon with Apollo or Mercury.

It has been observed that the Palmyrenes' devotion to this oriental god testifies to the relative independence of Palmyra from the prevailing Roman cultural model.

[3] When, between the end of the 2nd century and the beginning of the 3rd century, the central section of the Great Colonnade of Palmyra was erected, the northern part of the temenos The trapezoidal plan[2] of the temple of Nebo was modified,[1][4] but the temple wasn't moved and the colonnaded avenue went around it (it's believed that the traders of Palmyra might have feared negative repercussions from the god if the sanctuary had been moved).

[3] Only a few remains of the ancient sanctuary have survived: the podium on which the temple stood, which measures 180 miles; the bases of the columns that surrounded the main structure of the building; some remains of the external perimeter fence.

[1] The temple had a plan structure typical of oriental architecture:[1] the cella was surrounded by a peristyle of 72 Corinthian columns[2] and overlooked an open-air altar facing south; this was accessed from the south through a six-columned propylaeum.