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Baalbeck, Lebanon's greatest
Roman treasure, can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world. The
largest and most noble Roman temples ever built, they are also among the
best preserved.
Towering high above the Beqaa plain, their monumental
proportions proclaimed the power and wealth of Imperial Rome. The gods
worshipped here, the Triad of Jupiter, Venus and Mercury, were grafted
onto the indigenous deities of Hadad, Atargatis and a young male god of
fertility. Local influences are also seen in the planning and layout of
the temples, which vary from the classic Roman design.
Over the centuries
Baalbeck's monuments suffered from theft, war and earthquakes, as well as
from numerous medieval additions.
Fortunately, the modern visitor can see the site in something close to
its original form thanks to work in the past hundred years by German,
French and Lebanese archaeologists.
Baalbeck is located on two main
historic trade routes, one between the Mediterranean coast and the Syrian
interior and the other between northern Syria and northern Palestine.
Today the city, 85 kilometers from Beirut, is an important administrative
and economic center in
the northern Beqaa valley.
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The famous six columns
of Baalbeck

Lion's head
decoration
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The
Temples In History
For centuries the temples of Baalbeck lay
under meters of rubble, obscured by medieval fortifications. But
even in ruin the site attracted the admiration of visitors and its
historical importance was recognized.
The first survey and restoration work at Baalbeck
was begun by the German Archaeological Mission in 1898. In 1922
French scholars undertook extensive research and restoration of the
temples, work which was continued by the Lebanese Directorate
General of Antiquities.
Baalbeck's temples were built on an ancient tell
that goes back at least to the end of the third millennium B.C.
Little is known about the site during this period, but there is
evidence that in the course of the 1rst millennium B.C. an enclosed
court was built on the ancient tell. An altar was set in the center
of this court in the tradition of the biblical Semitic high places.
During the Hellenistic period (333-64 B.C.) the
Greeks identified the god of Baalbeck with the sun god and the city
was called Heliopolis or City of the Sun. At this time the ancient
enclosed court was enlarged and a podium was erected on its western
side to support a temple of classical form. Although the temple was
never built, some huge construction from the Hellenistic project can
still be seen. And it was over the ancient court that the Romans
placed the present Great Court of the Temple of Jupiter. |

Aerial view of the
Acropolis |
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The temple was begun in the last quarter of the 1rst century B.C.,
and was nearing completion in the final years of Nero's reign (37-68
A.D.). the Great Court Complex of the temple of Jupiter, with its
porticoes, exedrae, altars and basins, was built in the 2nd
century A.D. Construction of the so-called temple of Bacchus was
also started about this time.
The Propylaea and the Hexagonal Court of the
Jupiter temple were added in the 3rd century under the Severan
Dynasty (193-235 A.D.) and work was presumably completed in |
the
mid-3rd century. The small circular structure known as the Temple of
Venus, was probably finished at this time as well.
When Christianity was declared an official
religion of the Roman Empire in 313 A.D., Byzantine Emperor
Constantine officially closed the Baalbeck temples. At the end of
the 4th century, the Emperor Theodosius tore down the altars of
Jupiter's Great Court and built a basilica using the temple's stones
and architectural elements. The remnants of the three apses of this
basilica, originally oriented to the west, can still be seen in the
upper part of the stairway of the Temple of Jupiter.
After the Arab conquest in 636 the temples were
transformed into a fortress, or qal'a, a term still applied
to the Acropolis today.
During the next centuries Baalbeck fell
successively to the Omayyad, Abbasid, Toulounid, Fatimid and
Ayyoubid dynasties. Sacked by the Mongols about 1260, Baalbeck later
enjoyed a period of calm and prosperity under Mamluke rule. |
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T
H E S I G H T S
The
temple complex of Baalbeck is made up of the Jupiter Temple and the
Bacchus Temple adjacent to it. A short distance away is the circular
structure known as the Temple of Venus. Only part of the staircase remains
of a fourth temple dedicated to Mercury, on Kheikh Abdallah hill.
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The Great Temple
or "Jupiter Temple"
The first view the visitor has of Baalbeck is the six Corinthian
columns of the Great Temple thrusting 22 meters into the skyline. Built
on a podium seven meters above the Court, these six columns and the
entablature on top give an idea of the vast scale of the original
structure.
The complex of the Great Temple has four sections: the monumental
entrance or Propylaea, the Hexagonal Court, the Great Court and
finally the Temple itself, where the six famous columns stand.
The
Propylaea
The Propylaea completed in the mid-3rd century A.D., is approached by a
large semicircle of stone benches and a partially |
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The Propylaea
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restored stairway.
The entrance structure has towers at either end and is fronted by 12
granite columns.
An interior stairway goes to the top of the Propylaea where there is
an excellent view of the area. |
The
Hexagonal Forecourt
Three doors lead to the Hexagonal Forecourt where 30 granite columns
originally supported the entablature.
This six-sided form was built between the Propylaea and the Great
Court in the first half of the 3rd century A.D.
At the end of the 4rth century or the early 5th century, it was
covered with a dome and transformed into a church.
The Great Court
Built in the 2nd century A.D., covered an |
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The Exedrae around
the Great Court |
area
134x112 meters and contained the main installation of the cult.
Structurally, the court is a platform built on the leveled-off top
of the ancient artificial tell. The tell was consolidated on the
eastern, northern and southern sides by vaulted substructures, and
on the western side by the temple's podium. These substructures
supported the porticos and exedrae around the Court and were
used for stables and storage.
Two huge structures stand in the center of the
Great Court: a restored sacrificial altar and a tower with only the
lower courses remaining. The tower, dating from the beginning of the
1st century A.D., was probably built to allow the worshipers to view
the proceedings from the top. It was flanked by two solitary columns
of gray and red granite. two pools for ritual washing, decorated
with relief carvings, were placed north and south of both altar and
tower. these structures were destroyed when a Christian basilica was
built on the site at the end of the 4th century.
The entire Court was enclosed by a succession of
rectangular and semi-circular exedrae or recesses decorated
by niches which contained statues. Surrounding the Court, in front
of the exedrae, was an 84-column Corinthian colonnade of
Egyptian granite. on the exterior walls of the Court the remains of
medieval battlements
can still be seen.
Temple of Jupiter
After passing through the Propylaea, the Hexagonal Forecourt and
Great Court, the worshiper at last arrived at the Temple of Jupiter.
This approach to the sanctuary through a series of defined spaces
was an apparent oriental adaptation.
The Temple measures 88x48 meters and stands on a
podium 13 meters above the surrounding terrain and 7 meters above
the courtyard. It is reached by a monumental stairway.
Originally surrounded by 54 external columns,
most of these now lie in fragments on the ground. The six standing
columns are joined by an entablature decorated with a frieze of
bulls and lions' heads connected by garlands.
The Podium is built with some of the largest
stone blocks ever hewn. On the west side of the podium is the "Trilithon",
a celebrated group of three enormous stones weighing about 800 tons
each. |
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The Little Temple
or the "Temple of Bacchus"
Next to the Jupiter complex is a
separate building known as the Temple of Bacchus. Constructed during the
first half of the 2nd century A.D., it has been remarkably well preserved.
While the Great Temple was dedicated to the public cult of the
Heliopolitan Triad, the little temple was apparently consecrated to a
mysterious and initiatic cult centered around the young god of Baalbeck.
This god was identified as a solar and growth deity, |
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Temple of Bacchus |
whose
birth and growth promised regeneration and eternal life to the
faithful.
Wine and
other drugs, such as opium, may have been used by the worshipers and it
was the carvings of grapes and poppies on the main door jamb and some
carved Bacchic scenes, which suggested the temple's identification with
Bacchus.
Thirty-three steps lead up to the entrance and the whole
structure sits on a platform five meters high. The entrance through the
lofty monumental gate and the view of its ornate interior constitute one
of the loveliest sights of Baalbeck. The stairs on either side of the
doorway may have had some ritual function.
The 15th century tower at the
corner of this temple is a good example of the Mamluke fortifications of
Baalbeck. From the top of the tower a view can be had of the surrounding
area. |
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The
Round Temple or the "Temple of Venus"
The gem-like temple southeast of the acropolis was built in the
3rd century A.D.
Its design and size, as well as its orientation towards the Great
Temple, set it apart from the other Baalbeck temples. These
attributes also help identify it as the temple of the Fortune of
Baalbeck, that is the tutelary divinity of the City, under the
protection of its great gods. It was not by accident that during the Byzantine period it was
converted into a church dedicated to Saint Barbara, who is the
patron saint of Baalbeck to this day.
Near the Temple of Venus are
the remains of "The Temple of the Muses", dating from the
beginning of the 1st century A.D.
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A
R O U N D T H E T O W N
There are a number of other Roman remains and
Islamic sites to visit in Baalbeck and its immediate neighborhood. |
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The Great Omayyad
Mosque
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The
Great Mosque
In front of the acropolis entrance, this
mosque dates from the 7th-8th centuries of the Omayyad period. Built
on what was the site of the Roman forum and later a Byzantine church
dedicated to St. John,
the mosque re-uses granite and limestone columns. There is a square
minaret in the north-west corner of the courtyard. |
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Public
buildings
At Boustan el-Khan south of the temples are
important remains of public baths, a market and probably a bouleuterion,
or assembly hall.
Ras El-Ain
This ancient spring, now incorporated into modern
Baalbeck, has been a source of water since antiquity. Here are
traces of a Roman shrine and nympheun as well as remains of a
Mamluke mosque built in 1277.
Quarries
At the southern entrance of town is a quarry
where the stones used in the temples were cut. A huge block,
considered the largest hewn stone in the world, still sits where it
was cut almost 2,000 years ago. Called the "Stone of the
Pregnant Woman", it is 21.5m x 4.8m x 4.2meters in size and
weighs an estimated 1,000 tons. There is another quarry at Al-Kiyyâl,
southwest of town after Qoubbat Douris.
Quoubbat al-Amjad
On Sheikh Abdallah Hill are the remains of
the Zawiya - Mosque and tomb of "Sheikh Abdallah Al-Youmînî",
built under the rule of Al-Amjad, grand nephew of Saladin and
governor of Baalbeck between 1182 and 1230. It was constructed of
stones from the neighboring temple of Mercury.
City Gate
Northwest of the Acropolis near the army barracks
lie the remains of a Roman city gate, part of the fortifications
that surrounded the city.
Qoubbat as-Saadin
Not far from the City Gate is a two-room
mausoleum built in 1409, which served as a burial place for the
Mamluke governors of Baalbeck.
Qoubbat Douris
At the southern entrance of town is the site of
an octagonal structure composed of eight Roman granite columns.
Built during the 13th century, it was originally covered with a
cupola and held an Ayyoubid tomb. |
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VISIT
OTHER CITIES
(BEIRUT
- BYBLOS
- JEITA GROTTO - TRIPOLI
- SIDON - ZAHLÉ)
(AANJAR - THE CEDARS - TYRE - BEITEDDINE) |
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