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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.
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The famous six columns
of Baalbeck |
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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Lion's head decoration |
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.
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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. |
| 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. |
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 |
| 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. |
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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.
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The Exedrae around the Great Court |
The Great Court
Built in the 2nd century A.D., covered an 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. |
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.
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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| There are a number of other Roman remains
and Islamic sites to visit in Baalbeck and its immediate neighborhood. |
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. |
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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