Shahba was founded by the Emperor Philip the Arab, who built it as a symbolic capital dedicated to his family during his reign between 244 and 249 AD. However the building of this city was stopped abruptly at his death and was never finished. It was left abandoned for several centuries until the Druze reoccupied the area after emigrating from Lebanon.

The town's walls, which nearly shape into a square, are still recognizable with the four gateways leading into the city. The main cluster of ruins lies near the center of the square city. The main ruins

The temple was probably erected as a shrine dedicated to his chieftain father Julius Marinus. This square like temple has evidence that it was decorated with marble and that the niches in between the walled arches were filled with statuary of Philips family.

The theatre is not much compared to the superior one in Bosra, but at 42 meters in diameter it is one of the best preserved theatres in Syria. The baths however are relatively large compared to the rest of the city, the inside walls were covered with marble, and their quality of architecture was as good and even better than some of the great baths in Rome itself. 

There is also a museum of mosaics here that exhibits some beautiful Syro-Roman art. Some of the themes in these mosaics include: Orpheus surrounded by animals, the wedding of Ariadne and Bacchus, and one of Aphrodite and Ares.