A Trip to Baalbek, Lebanon
A third and final instalment about arguably one of the most intriguing places in the Levant
I was a wee bit side-tracked by the appearance of my little essay on Jackson Van Uden’s weblog, and then I saw that the Via Appia Antica was awarded the coveted UNESCO World Heritage Site status—and I briefly considered moving on from Lebanon before we were through with it to merely show some postcards from southern Italy. Oh my, the latter will have to wait for the next posting, I s’ppose.
Tonight, I wish to take you to Baalbek, Lebanon, which, according to Wikipedia (references omitted), is
a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, about 67 km (42 mi) northeast of Beirut…The town is known for its historical sites and tourist attractions, including several ancient Roman temples, a Great Mosque from the Umayyad period, and a Roman quarry site named Hajar al-Hibla.
Baalbek has a history that dates back at least 11,000 years, encompassing significant periods such as Prehistoric, Canaanite, Hellenistic, and Roman eras. After Alexander the Great conquered the city in 334 BCE, he renamed it Heliopolis (Ἡλιούπολις, Greek for “Sun City”). The city flourished under Roman rule. However, it underwent transformations during the Christianization period and the subsequent rise of Islam following the Arab conquest in the 7th century. In later periods, the city was sacked by the Mongols and faced a series of earthquakes, resulting in a decline in importance during the Ottoman and modern periods. The city is known for the ruins of the Baalbek temple complex from the Roman period, housing two of the largest and grandest Roman temples: the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter. It was inscribed in 1984 as an UNESCO World Heritage site.
Long story short (check out that Wikipedia piece for more, incl. awesome photographs), it’s one of the more awesome places to go to, that is, if you’re into archaeological excavation sites (hi my dear friend and co-worker E.S. who’s certainly been there and will appreciate this posting).
That said, in case you missed the two earlier instalments about Lebanon, please see:
That said, let’s check out Baalbek!
Welcome to Heliopolis | Baalbek
Our first stop, above, are the “remains of the Roman market”, or forum. Below, the interior of the Bacchus temple is shown.
For a bit of perspective, we retreat a bit to enjoy a “general view”, below.
All of these postcards hail from the mid-1970s, by the way.
An exterior view of the Temple of Bacchus (above), juxtaposed by the Temple of Venus (below):
Before leaving Baalbek, or Heliopolis, behold “the steps of the Bacchus Temple and the six columns of Jupiter”, below, which is also the image at the top of this posting.
Bonus Postcard
Because I find this postcard really cool and intriguing—as well as very much “outside” the pictorial canon—I shall share with you a “detail of [the] ceiling of the Bacchus Temple”.
I hope you enjoyed our little trip to Baalbek, and on we march towards southern Italy now.
Wow the ceiling aspect card is spectacular and very unusual.
The last one is amazing. Hope the photographer was justly compensated