</a></span>"}'/> Baalbek بَعلبَك is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in Lebanon and one of the country's UNESCO World Heritage Sites . Baalbeck or 'Heliopolis' as it was known is the site of great ancient temples built by the Phoenicians, the Romans , and other civilisations that have conquered the region and enjoyed the fertile soil of the Bekaa Valley . Some of the most celebrated temples are the ones of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, and Jupiter, the Roman god of light, of the sky and weather.
Buses to Baalbek from Beirut leave the Cola intersection frequently and cost 7,000 LL. During the summer season daily tours are available from Beirut to Baalbeck from most major hotels; tour operator Nakhal has a guided coach tour several days a week for US$70. The trip takes about two hours each way.
It is possible to travel from Homs in Syria to Baalbek by bus. Buses leave from the Karnak or Luxury coach stations in Homs and cross into Lebanon at al-Qa'a, arriving soon thereafter at Baalbek. Cost is about US$10.
Visiting the ruins of Baalbeck costs 15 000 LL. The ruins consist of several temples and buildings:
Do not buy antiquities as they are most likely fake. This is the center of the fake coin industry. Insist on a certificate of authenticity, and pay by credit card and keep your receipt. At least then you can charge back the dealer when you learn you have been deceived. Real antiquities could also be from illegal digs, don't buy them either.
You will probably also be touted some yellow Hezbullah T-shirts while you are at Baalbeck, as it is the birthplace of that party. If you choose to buy one beware: these T-shirts will self-destruct in the laundry, losing all of their green ink in the wash. That aside, they are an interesting souvenir. They should only cost 1,000 LL, not the 15,000 LL they'll ask.
Oriental pastries are offered by Patisserie Jawhari, there you can find traditional sweets from Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. The most famous sweet there is called "namoura bel ashta" (namoura with cream). The cream is extracted from fresh boiling milk. More pastries are found including knefe and neqlawa.
Every summer there are outdoor sheesha bars, they also serve food, drinks, desserts.
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Baalbeck, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon
This exceptional Roman temple complex is one of the best-preserved examples of Roman architecture in the world.
Situated on a hill overlooking the surrounding valley, the enormous site includes the remains of two exceptional Roman temples – the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter, the latter distinguished by its 6 remaining columns. Both date from the mid-1st century – the height of the Roman Empire.
The site was known as ‘Heliopolis’ (meaning Sun City in Greek) during Roman times, though it had been a site of worship since 8,000 BC. The current name derives from the Phoenician sky god, Baal; the Phoenicians (1500 BC – 300 BC) built the first significant temple here.
The temple complex lies in the middle of the town of Baalbek, about 85km north-east of Beirut.
This is considered ‘Hezbollah territory’, it’s wise to go with a tour group or private driver who’s familiar with the area.
As there’s very little signage around the ruins, a tour guide can be very useful here. Many guides offer their services at the entrance for a small fee.
There are no stalls or restaurants inside the temple complex, so eat beforehand and bring plenty of water as the site involves quite a bit of walking.
The site is open year-round daily, from dawn to dusk.
If you have the chance to go outside high season (July-August) you may very well end up having the place almost to yourself, which is an incredible experience.
High summer is uncomfortably hot, with temperatures close to 40°C, and unpleasantly busy.
Our writer’s recommended tour operators to book with
London, United Kingdom (UK)
TourOperator
Well-regarded tour operator specialising in small group and private/bespoke tours to the undiscovered parts of Lebanon, including Baalbeck. They’re renowned for cultural & hiking tours that take the ‘lesser known path’, avoiding the crowds, but still taking in the main sights.
Approximately 86 kilometers northeast of the city of Beirut in eastern Lebanon stands the temple complex of Baalbek. Situated atop a high point in the fertile Bekaa valley, the ruins are one of the most extraordinary and enigmatic holy places of ancient times. Long before the Romans conquered the site and built their enormous temple of Jupiter, long even before the Phoenicians constructed a temple to the god Baal, there stood at Baalbek the largest stone block construction found in the entire world.
The origin of the name Baalbek is not precisely known and there is some difference of opinion among scholars. The Phoenician term Baal (as the Hebrew term Adon) simply means ‘lord’ or ‘god’ and was the title given to the Semitic sky-deity worshipped throughout the archaic Middle East. The word Baalbek may mean 'God of the Bekaa valley' (the local area) or ‘God of the Town’, depending on different interpretations of the word. Ancient legends assert that Baalbek was the birthplace of Baal. Some scholars have suggested that Baal (the Assyrian Hadad) was only one of a triad of Phoenician deities that were once venerated at this site - the others being his son Aliyan, who presided over well-springs and fecundity, and his daughter Anat (Assyrian Atargatis).
In the Seleucid (323-64 BC) and Roman (64 BC-312 AD) periods, the town became known as Heliopolis , the ‘City of the Sun.' The sky/sun god Jupiter became the central deity of the shrine during this time. Arguably the most important deity of the Romans and taking over the role of Zeus in the Greek pantheon, Jupiter was probably chosen to replace the much earlier worship of the Phonecian god Baal who had many characteristics in common with the Greek Zeus. Many Roman emperors were of Syrian birth, so it would not have been unusual for them to have promoted the worship of the country's indigenous deities under their adopted Roman names. Whatever the nature of the pre-Roman worship at Baalbek, its veneration of Baal created a hybrid form of the god Jupiter, generally referred to as Jupiter Heliopolitan. The Romans also assimilated the worship of the goddess Astarte with that of Aphrodite or Venus, and the god Adonis was identified with Bacchus.
The origin and development of Baalbek may be considered from two quite different paradigms of prehistory, one the conventional approach that views civilization as having only begun in middle Neolithic times and the alternative approach which suggests that developed cultures existed in what is archaeologically known as the Paleolithic period. Let us first examine the chronology of Baalbek from the conventional interpretation, following which I will discuss some amazing site anomalies that can only be explained by recourse to a far older and now lost civilization.
According to theories stated by the mainstream archaeological community, the history of Baalbek reaches back approximately 5000 years. Excavations beneath the Great Court of the Temple of Jupiter have uncovered traces of settlements dating to the Middle Bronze Age (1900-1600 BC) built on top of an older level of human habitation dating to the Early Bronze Age (2900-2300 BC). Biblical passages (I Kings, IX: 17-19) mention the name of King Solomon in connection with a place that may be ancient Baalbek (“And Solomon built Gezer and Beth-Horon, the lower, and Baalath and Tadmor in the wilderness”), but most scholars are hesitant to equate this Baalath with Baalbek and therefore deny any connection between Solomon and the ruins. Because the great stones of Baalbek are similar, though far larger, than the stones of the temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, archaic myths had arisen that Solomon erected both structures. If Solomon had really erected the site of Baalbek, however, it is astonishing that the Old Testament has mentioned nothing of the matter.
After the time of Solomon, the Phoenicians became masters of Syria and chose the site of Baalbek for a temple to their Sun-god Baal-Hadad. Little is known of Baalbek from this period. The late 11th century BC witnessed the arrival of an Assyrian army on the Mediterranean coast but because Baalbek is not mentioned alongside the names of other Phonecian cities, it has been assumed that Baalbek was an obscure religious center with no political or trading importance.
The first-century AD Jewish historian Josephus tells of Alexander's march through the Beqa'a on his way to Damascus, during which he encountered the city of Baalbek. Following the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Phoenicia was ruled successively by the Ptolemaic kings of Egypt and the Seleucid kings of Syria until the arrival of the Romans. The name Heliopolis, by which Baalbek was known during Greco-Roman times, derives from Greek association with the site beginning in 331 BC. Meaning ‘City of the Sun’, the name was also used by the Ptolemies of Egypt between 323 and 198 BC, in order to express the importance this holy site held for the Egyptians. A sacred site with this same name already existed in Egypt and the new Ptolomaic rulers may have found it provident to link the ancient sky-god of Baalbek with the Egyptian god Re and the Greek Helios in order to establish closer religious and cultural ties between their newly established Ptolomaic dynasty in Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean world. In the historical writings of Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, a Latin grammarian who lived during the 5th century AD, the god of the holy place was called Zeus Heliopolitanus (a Greek god) and the temple was mentioned as a place of oracular divination, similar to such sites as Delphi and Dodona in Greece and the temple of Amun at Siwa in Egypt.
The golden age of Roman building at Baalbek/Heliopolis began in 15BC when Julius Caesar settled a legion there and began construction of the great Temple of Jupiter. During the next three centuries, as emperors succeeded one another in the imperial capital of Rome, Heliopolis would be filled with the most massive religious buildings ever constructed in the far reaching Roman Empire. These monuments functioned as places of worship until Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire in 313 AD, following which the Byzantine Christian emperors and their rapacious soldiers desecrated thousands of pagan sanctuaries. At the end of the 4th century, Emperor Theodosius destroyed many significant buildings and statues, and constructed a basilica with stones from the Temple of Jupiter. This signaled the end of Roman Heliopolis. The city of the sun declined and lapsed into relative oblivion.
In the year 634, Muslim armies entered Syria and besieged Baalbek. A mosque was built within the walls of the temple compound, which was itself converted into a citadel. Over the next several centuries, the city and region of Baalbek were controlled by various Islamic dynasties including the Umayyads, Abbasids and Fatamids as well as the Seljuk and Ottoman Turks. During these years, Baalbek was ravaged by the Tartars in 1260, Tamerlane in 1401 and was also shaken by numerous powerful earthquakes.
In the 1700’s, European explorers began to visit the ruins and in 1898 the German emperor, William II organized the first restoration of the ancient temples. Following the lead established by the Germans, extensive archaeological excavations were carried out by the French government and later the Lebanese Department of Antiquities. While a great deal of much needed restoration work was performed by these archaeologists, the analysis of the ancient origins and use of the site was limited by the prevailing academic view of prehistory which does not recognize the possibility of sophisticated civilizations in early Neolithic or pre-Neolithic times. Particular structures at the Baalbek ruins can, however, only be explained by recourse to such extremely ancient cultures.
The ruins of Baalbek, situated on a large hill (1150 meters) with an expansive view over the adjoining plains, are bordered on two sides by the town of Baalbek and on the other sides by agricultural land belonging to local farmers. Within the sprawling complex are a profusion of temples and platforms filled with a stunning collection of fallen columns and sculptures. The primary structures at the ruins are the Great Court; the Temple of Baal/Jupiter situated upon the massive pre-Roman stone blocks known as the Trilithon; the so-called Temple of Bacchus; and the circular temple believed to be associated with the goddess Venus. Let us briefly discuss the Roman constructions first.
The Great Court, begun during the reign of Trajan (98-117), measured 135 meters by 113 meters, contained various religious buildings and altars, and was surrounded by a splendid colonnade of 128 rose granite columns. These magnificent columns, 20 meters tall and of enormous weight, are known to have been quarried in Aswan, Egypt but how they were actually transported by land and sea to Baalbek remains an engineering mystery. Today, only six columns remain standing, the rest having been destroyed by earthquakes or taken to other sites (for example, Justinian appropriated eight of them for the basilica of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople).
The Temple of Baal/Jupiter was begun during the reign of Emperor Augustus in the late first century BC and completed soon after 60 AD. The single largest religious edifice ever erected by the Romans, the immense sanctuary of Jupiter Heliopolitanus was lined by 104 massive granite columns, imported from Aswan in Egypt, and held a temple surrounded by 50 additional columns, almost 19m (62ft) high. The Temple is believed to have been consecrated to a triad of deities: Hadad (Baal/Jupiter), the god of Heaven; Atargates (Astarte/Hera), the wife of Hadad; and Mercury, their son.
As the vast temple complex expanded throughout Roman times, the so-called Temple of Bacchus was constructed in the middle of the 2nd century BC. It is called the Temple of Bacchus (the god of fertility and good cheer) mainly because a number of its sculptured reliefs have been interpreted by archaeologists as scenes from the childhood of this god (although some scholars argue this temple was dedicated to Mercury, the winged god of communication). The best-preserved Roman temple in the world, it is sixty-nine meters long by thirty-six meters wide and is surrounded by forty-two columns nineteen meters in height.
At the beginning of the 3rd century a lovely circular temple was added to the Baalbek complex. While early European visitors assumed it was a Venus temple due to its ornamentation of seashells, doves and other artistic motifs associated with the cult of this goddess, it is not known for certain which deity the shrine was actually dedicated to. During Byzantine Christian times the temple was used as a church by Greek Catholics and dedicated to the early Christian martyr Saint Barbara.
The great mystery of the ruins of Baalbek, and indeed one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world, concerns the massive foundation stones beneath the Roman Temple of Jupiter. The courtyard of the Jupiter temple is situated upon a platform, called the Grand Terrace, which consists of a huge outer wall and a filling of massive stones. The lower courses of the outer wall are formed of huge, finely crafted and precisely positioned blocks. They range in size from thirty to thirty three feet in length, fourteen feet in height and ten feet in depth, and weigh approximately 450 tons each. Nine of these blocks are visible on the north side of the temple, nine on the south, and six on the west (others may exist but archaeological excavations have thus far not dug beneath all the sections of the Grand Terrace). Above the six blocks on the western side are three even larger stones, called the Trilithon, whose weight exceeds 1000 tons each. These great stones vary in size between sixty-three and sixty-five feet in length, with a height of fourteen feet six inches and a depth of twelve feet.
Three other even larger monoliths are found in a limestone quarry a quarter of a mile from the Baalbek complex. The first, called the Stone of the Pregnant Woman (Hadjar el Hibla in Arabic) or Stone of the South (Hadjar el Gouble in Arabic) is sixty-nine feet by sixteen feet by thirteen feet ten inches and weights an estimated 1000 tons. This stone lays at a raised angle with the lowest part of its base still attached to the quarry rock as though it were almost ready to be cut free and transported to its presumed location next to the other stones of the Trilithon. A second stone was discovered nearby in the 1990’s and weighs an estimated 1200 tons. A third, only recently discovered beneath the Stone of the Pregnant Woman, may exceed 1200 tons but its size and weight are estimates because its base has not yet been excavated.
Why these stones are such an enigma to contemporary scientists, both engineers and archaeologists alike, is that their method of quarrying, transportation and precision placement is beyond the technological ability of any known ancient or modern builders. Various ‘scholars’, uncomfortable with the notion that ancient cultures might have developed knowledge superior to modern science, have decided that the massive Baalbek stones were laboriously dragged from the nearby quarries to the temple site. While carved images in the temples of Egypt and Mesopotamia do indeed give evidence of this method of block transportation - using ropes, wooden rollers and thousands of laborers - the dragged blocks are known to have been only 1/10th the size and weight of the Baalbek stones and to have been moved along flat surfaces with wide movement paths. The route to the site of Baalbek, however, is up hill, over rough and winding terrain, and there is no evidence whatsoever of a flat hauling surface having been created in ancient times.
Next there is the problem of how the mammoth blocks, once they were brought to the site, were lifted and precisely placed in position. It has been theorized that the stones were raised using a complex array of scaffolding, ramps and pulleys which was powered by large numbers of humans and animals working in unison. An historical example of this method has been suggested as the solution for the Baalbek enigma. The Renaissance architect Domenico Fontana, when erecting a 327-ton Egyptian obelisk in front of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, used 40 huge pulleys, which necessitated a combined force of 800 men and 140 horses. The area where this obelisk was erected, however, was a great open space that could easily accommodate all the lifting apparatus and the men and horses pulling on the ropes. No such space is available in the spatial context of how the Baalbek stones were placed. Hills slope away from where lifting apparatus would need to have been placed and no evidence has been found of a flat and structurally firm surface having been constructed (and then mysteriously removed after the lifting was done). Furthermore, not just one obelisk was erected but rather a series of giant stones were precisely put in place side-by-side. Due to the positioning of these stones, there is simply no conceivable place where a huge pulley apparatus could have been stationed.
Archaeologists, unable to resolve the mysteries of the transportation and lifting of the great blocks, rarely have the intellectual honesty to admit their ignorance of the matter and therefore focus their attention solely on redundant measurements and discussions regarding the verifiable Roman-era temples at the site. Architects and construction engineers, however, not having any preconceived ideas of ancient history to uphold, will frankly state that there are no known lifting technologies even in current times that could raise and position the Baalbek stones given the amount of working space. The massive stones of the Grand Terrace of Baalbek are simply beyond the engineering abilities of any recognized ancient or contemporary builders.
There are several other matters about the Baalbek stones that further confound archaeologists and conventional theories of prehistoric civilization. There are no legends or folk tales from Roman times that link the Romans with the mammoth stones. There are absolutely no records in any Roman or other literary sources concerning the construction methods or the dates and names of the benefactors, designers, architects, engineers and builders of the Grand Terrace. The megalithic stones of the Trilithon bear no structural or ornamental resemblance to any of the Roman-era constructions above them, such as the previously described Temples of Jupiter, Bacchus or Venus. The limestone rocks of the Trilithon show extensive evidence of wind and sand erosion that is absent from the Roman temples, indicating that the megalithic construction dates from a far earlier age. Finally, the great stones of Baalbek show stylistic similarities to other cyclopean stone walls at verifiably pre-Roman sites such as the Acropolis foundation in Athens, the foundations of Myceneae, Tiryns, Delphi and even megalithic constructions in the ‘new world’ such as Ollyantaytambo in Peru and Tiahuanaco in Bolivia.
Additional information on Baalbek at ancient-wisdom.
Andrew Collins on Baalbek
Do not leave Lebanon without paying a visit to its most famous ancient site, Baalbek. The temple of Baalbek was meant to be bigger and more lavish than the Acropolis in Athens itself. According to an Arab legend, ghosts and spirits came together to build this temple in the Beqaa Valley.
However, and in spite of their efforts, they could never finish it. In reality, due to wars, earthquakes, and human negligence, Baalbek is now just a shadow of what it once was. Do not despair! What remains is truly beautiful and gives us an idea of how magnificent the temple must have been. The name Baalbek comes from the ancient god of fertility, Baal.
Though I had been to Lebanon before , Eitan hadn’t and was dying to go. As you know, we plan our trips along a route of essential places and leave free time to discover new ones. A visit to Baalbek was guaranteed! However, we were not sure how to organize our day trip to Baalbek.
Luckily, several vans a day connect Beirut with Baalbek. These wait for passengers at Cola Junction, south of the center. We took a taxi from our Radisson Blu Martinez Hotel and got there in no time. Since the vans leave when full, we waited for half an hour before our departure. No complaints, we like catching a glimpse of everyday life.
Though Beirut and Baalbek are just 50 miles (80 km) away, the journey can take up to three hours . The road is completely congested, and vans stop pretty often. Both our vans on the way to and back from Baalbek were pretty old. We were delighted to be the only foreigners amongst locals! However, both drivers drove like crazy!
It was very hot, so people would drink water and offer us some. Of course, the bottle got thrown out of the window! Some people were smoking. Everyone was busy, chatting amongst themselves or on their phones. We got the full experience and enjoyed it! Take note that most vans continue beyond Baalbek, so they don’t stop at the city center. Instead, they drop you off at a roundabout 3 miles (5 km) away from the temple.
We took an inexpensive taxi to the city center and were there in 5 minutes. There is a large parking lot, a small square and a couple of churches and mosques. Both the Temples of Jupiter and Bacchus are in the main compound. The Temple of Venus is the centerpiece of the smaller ruins and temples that lie across.
Tourist restaurants line up the pedestrian street leading to the temple’s entrance. They sell food and drinks, and torture horses and camels for your entertainment. Actually, it is the tourists that pay local people to torture horses and camels. They don’t have a choice but to oblige. Since we wanted to avoid tourists, we sat in a small restaurant on the square. We tried Lebanese delicacies and cold drinks. At all times we felt safe and taken care of. The Lebanese are great hosts!
The Greeks arrived in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis in the 3rd century BC and discovered the remains of an older Phoenician settlement and renamed it Baalbek. Under the Rule of Augustus, the Romans arrived in the area around the year 15 BC. They built the Temples of Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus in Baalbek. The Temple of Jupiter was demolished in the 4th Century when Theodosius built a Christian basilica over it.
In 643 a great earthquake destroyed the rest of the temple and the basilica. Soon after, the Arabs conquered the area and built a fortress over the temples. Baalbek’s importance was recognized again in the 20th Century, and serious reconstruction started. Of course, UNESCO had to include the temples of Baalbek in its World Heritage List in 1984.
Though the small area around the Temple of Venus is out of reach, you can see it from the outside. You will find the ticket office on the main site. You enter the temple complex from the monumental Propylaea which are in pretty good shape. As soon as you climb the stairs, you reach the Hexagonal Court and after it the Grand Court .
At the top of the Grand Court, you’ll stumble upon the remaining six pillars of the Temple of Jupiter . You have to go down to get to the Temple of Bacchus , on the left. Most of the pillars and walls are still standing. The ornamental frieze is superb. The place is so pretty, that it’s used for events on special occasions. Finally, don’t forget to look for the remains of the Arab fortress and the small museum.
The Temple of Venus is to the southeast of the Altars. You will recognize it from its Corinthian tall columns and circular appearance. Notice the 5 niches on the façade. You will see doves and shells. Thanks to them, we know that the temple was dedicated to Venus. The temple is from the 3 rd Century AD.
However, the temple is well preserved because it was used as a church for a long period of time. It was the church of Saint Barbara. It’s a sad story. Her dad still worshiped the old gods. When he found out she had converted, he killed her. He was then struck by lightning. The Greek Church in the town of Baalbek is dedicated to Saint Barbara.
There is no way you will not see the Temple of Jupiter . It used to be the largest temple in the Roman Empire. Today, we can only see 6 massive columns. The structure was slowly dismantled as soon as the 6 th Century. Rumor has it that some of its columns were used to build Hagia Sophia in Istanbul .
The temple is to the west of the compound on top of a flight of stairs. The columns are 62 feet (19 meters) tall. They were the tallest columns in the world. Look closely at the decorations. You will see a beautiful roman lion gargoyle. These were used to collect snow. Take your time and let your mind travel in time.
The Temple of Bacchus is bigger than the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It’s also in better shape. It was and still is, one of the most impressive temples in the world. You will recognize it from its 42 Corinthian columns. These are 62 feet (19 meters) tall! Without a doubt, the Temple of Bacchus is Baalbek’s biggest draw.
The decorations of the temple deserve special attention. Find the 4 sculptures of bugs that decorate the porch. Enter the temple and notice the eagle and the two cupids. Continue through the northern corridor. You will see ladies with crowns. These represent the cities that paid for the temple. More recent decorations are the signatures of German Emperor Wilhelm II and Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II.
Try not to visit Baalbek in summer , since it can get seriously hot, as in the rest of Lebanon. We visited in early July, and it was rather hot. Though high season had started, there weren’t many tourists. It was us, independent tourists, and a few small groups with a private guide.
Since Baalbek is a historic site that charges an entry fee, don’t expect to see groups of locals even during the weekends. Consequently, you can visit Baalbek any time of the day, any day of the week, and enjoy the tranquility of this ancient beauty. There is no need to rush, especially in the heat. We had to stop frequently under a shadow to rest, and admire the temples.
If you are visiting in summer, be sure to bring a hat and some sunscreen . The best thing to do is to bring your own water in a recyclable container. If you don’t, you can always buy refreshments from the restaurants. Try not to take part in the abuse of cute animals . They have feelings just like us, so carrying people on their backs is not really their cup of tea.
The temples and the views from the top are spectacular. Therefore, don’t forget your camera and take plenty of photos. If you wish, you can hire a local guide to give you a tour around the temples of Baalbek. Some of them are licensed and know a lot about their history. If you are visiting during colder months, don’t forget to bring a jacket , as it can get relatively cold.
According to the British Ministry of Foreign affairs, it is safe to visit the city of Baalbek, but not its surrounding areas. Thus, for a total local experience, spend a night or two in the city. By doing so, you can be the first and the last one to visit the temples. There are two great hotels in the city of Baalbek.
The Palmyra Hotel is a beautiful old house converted into a hotel. It is located in Baalbek’s city center, five minutes away from the temples. It seems to be unavailable at the moment. The Kanaan Group Hotel is a bit away, but you can still walk to the temples. This lavish ‘nouveau riche’ style hotel offers comfortable rooms with splendid views.
Walking one day about downtown Beirut, we stumbled upon a travel agency. They offered us an organized day trip to Baalbek for 100 USD per person. Not only did it seem expensive, but it meant we would travel with a group of tourists on a tight schedule. To us, a private tour means just us and loads of time, so no, not our thing. Instead, we inquired how to get there by public bus.
That said, if you want to hire a tour, we strongly recommend the one offered by getyourguide . A couple of friends of ours who didn’t want to travel on their own hired it and had a great time. It includes hotel pick up. They use professional drivers and give you a lot of space. The whole tour lasts 4 to 6 hours.
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Virtual Travel
A Smithsonian magazine special report
The free online experience allows users to toggle between views of the ancient Lebanese city today and as it appeared in 215 A.D.
Livia Gershon
Daily Correspondent
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, few visitors can currently travel to Baalbek , a city in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley that houses some of the Roman Empire’s greatest temple ruins. Luckily, a new virtual tour allows people anywhere in the world to view the site both as it appears today and as it looked at its peak in 215 A.D.
As Maghie Ghali reports for the Abu Dhabi–based National , the Lebanese Directorate of General Antiquities and the German Archaeological Institute collaborated with virtual tour company Flyover Zone to create the online experience, titled Baalbek Reborn: Temples .
“No list of the world’s most important tourist destinations would be complete without Baalbek, so you can well understand why we jumped at the opportunity to recreate Baalbek in the Roman period,” Flyover Zone founder Bernard Frischer , who previously led a similar digital reconstruction of ancient Rome , tells the National .
Baalbek, a Unesco World Heritage Site , was a Phoenician city known during the Hellenistic period as Heliopolis. Under the Roman Empire, Baalbek reached its most impressive state, housing a complex of temples built over a period of more than 200 years. Pilgrims visited the city to worship the Romanized “triad” of Heliopolis : the deities Jupiter, Venus and Mercury.
The city’s most impressive building, the sanctuary of the Heliopolitan Jupiter, boasted 65-foot-tall columns placed atop 3,000-ton stone blocks, according to Elif Batuman of the New Yorker . Other places of worship at the site included the Round Temple , which was dedicated to Venus, and an intricately decorated temple honoring Bacchus. Today, notes Unesco , Baalbek’s Temple of Mercury is mostly destroyed.
Frischer says the site was home to one of the most important oracles of the ancient world. This Baalbek prophet was dedicated to Heliopolitan Jupiter.
“Emperors consulted it,” he tells the National . “Everyone wanted to know whether they should get married, take a trip or start a business, start a war, and they all asked the oracle.”
The free app—available for computer, mobile devices and virtual reality headsets—offers interactive, 360-degree views of 38 locations in the city, reports Robert McKelvey for Al Jazeera . Users can listen to expert audio commentary in Arabic, English, French or German and call up additional images and text for more information about specific spots. They can also toggle between seeing the buildings as they appear today and as they looked almost 2,000 years ago.
“The representation you can see will be tailored to the content of the commentary,” Henning Burwitz, a building historian and architect with the German Archaeological Institute, tells Al Jazeera . “If we explain the site today, you will see it as it looks today but if we talk about what it looked like in 215, the image will switch automatically to take you on a time travel to the year 215 and to show you what it looked like in antiquity.”
Humans have lived in the area now known as Baalbek since at least 9000 B.C. Under the Phoenicians, the city became a center for the worship of the sky-god Baal and the goddess Astarte.
Per Encyclopedia Britannica , Baalbek was controlled by Greece, Egypt and the Seleucid Empire before coming under Roman domain in the first century B.C. Between 1898 and 1903, a German expedition excavated the Roman temples. The French and Lebanese governments later cleared and repaired the site.
“There’s just something very special about the place,” Burwitz tells Al Jazeera. “It’s scientifically an extremely interesting place, being one of the more eastern Roman cities and sanctuaries. It’s quite a statement to build something like this in such a remote part of the Roman Empire.”
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Livia Gershon is a daily correspondent for Smithsonian. She is also a freelance journalist based in New Hampshire. She has written for JSTOR Daily , the Daily Beast , the Boston Globe , HuffPost and Vice , among others.
Offbeat Travelling
Fascinating travel adventures in 'difficult' countries
December 18, 2015
Located at the edge of Lebanon’s most troubled region, the city of Baalbek hosts the largest Roman ruins in the world. With the ongoing war in Syria just miles away, a common question is whether it is safe to visit them.
First let’s get a proper understanding of the situation around the ruins. I will go over a few recent developments.
The Roman Ruins, sometimes referred to as Heliopolis, are located 85 kilometres northeast from Beirut in the Beqaa Valley. In the media this region has often been associated with tribal drug lords and the rule of tribal law. Though that could be true, for a traveller this will practically be of no relevance .
What is more important though, is that the city Baalbek lays north in the valley and is an important stronghold of Hezbollah. This political group is also a Shi’a Islamist militant group who are actively taking part fighting alongside the Assad regime in Syria. The main opponents they are facing in the Syrian conflict are militant groups from the Sunni denomination of Islam.
At a distance of approximately 35 kilometres lays Arsal city, which hosts a predominantly Sunni community. The mountainous Arsal region is notorious for its porous border with Syria, allowing jihadists of all sorts to get in and out of Syria in relative freedom. In 2013, rockets launched from Syria landed in the city centre of Baalbek , injuring several.
In 2014 things escalated. Sunni militant groups Al Nusra (Al-Qaeda’s Syria branch) and ISIS invaded the Arsal region, capturing dozens of Lebanese police officers and later also soldiers. After days of fighting, the Lebanese army ultimately took back control in what is now called the battle of Arsal . Prisoners of war taken on both sides of the conflict were only recently exchanged in a long-awaited swap deal that took place in Arsal on 1 December 2015. The event triggered another series of shelling and so fighting around the area continues .
READ MORE: Visiting Burj Al-Barajneh, the Site of the 2015 Beirut Bombings
There have also been threats of Sunni muslim extremists trying to enter other regions of Lebanon. On 12 November 2015, a twin suicide bombing killed dozens in the Shi’a Burj al-Barajneh neighbourhood of Beirut (which I visited just weeks after). The attack was later claimed by ISIS. In the context of all these threats there are many checkpoints by the Lebanese army in the Beqaa valley.
I visited the ruins 4 days after the prisoner swap, on December 5th 2015. I was together with an English friend and unfortunately we arrived quite late. As we were taking pictures of the sunset, all of the sudden we could hear the sounds of distant gunfire and shelling coming from different directions. At the exact same moment the call for prayer was broadcasted from nearby loudspeakers, making a surreal blend of sounds in the background as daylight was gradually fading away. We were not sure what was going on, but I started to record some video to keep the memory.
Note that the deep thundering sounds are clearly not from heavy gunfire (as I claim in the video), but from shelling. Later we found out that what we had been hearing was most probably the Lebanese army firing artillery at nearby Al Nusra positions. This newspaper provides proof to that theory.
So there was outgoing shelling nearby, probably at least 10km away. That would mean no direct threat for anyone visiting the Baalbek ruins.
However, there is another element of danger in the valley. One traveller who had been to the same ruins a few days later experienced a small incident involving what she called ‘celebratory gunfire’. She explained me how several men in a pickup truck were shooting assault riffles up in the air when she passed with a public minivan. The weird thing is she also explained how some other men were shooting towards the street. Now this I think is not only weird, but also very dangerous. Bullets can change direction when hitting the tarmac and it wouldn’t be the first time someone gets injured from that.
Due to the experience I and the other traveller had, I would almost discourage people from still going there. Keeping up to date with developments is not easy, especially if you are not into following international news at all.
On the other hand, I have several reports of people going there without any issues. Concerning the Syrian conflict and spillovers in the Arsal region, it seems the situation is pretty much under control. There is tension, but I don’t think it should stop you from visiting the ruins. Under normal circumstances the only thing you will experience is some checkpoints on the way, which to be honest is a normal thing in many countries.
To see if the situation around Arsal is changing at all, it is best to check Liveuamap . It offers real-time information about the Middle East conflict. Zoom in on the Lebanon-Syria border near Arsal and check (1) if the black area is still there, and (2) if there are any notifications about recent events.
Do not rely too much on your accommodation for info. I found that in Hostel Beirut the staff could not inform me about any developments, let alone safety updates. Things were better in the cheaper Talal Hotel , but facilities are more basic and the hotel has much less atmosphere. When staying in a more expensive hotel I can only imagine how they will advise hiring a private driver. I don’t believe it will increase safety but you would be able to see more things in just one day.
Do you want to learn more about travel safety in Lebanon in general? Check out this amazing post (I could not have written it better, honestly) by Joan from Against the Compass : Is it Safe to Travel to Lebanon?
If you decide to give it a go, have a look at my directions:
The drive from downtown Beirut to the archeological site can be done by public minivan (5000-7000 Lebanese Pounds, one-way). You can find these buses departing from ‘Cola’, which is like a big important junction in the centre of Beirut known for the Cola factory that was once there. Walking passed the big line of minivans, just ask around for the one to ‘Baalbek’.
Read more: Safety Tips for Travelling to a Potential Conflict Zone
When the driver knows that you are going to the ruins, he will drop you around a place called Douris at the outskirts of Baalbek. It takes about 3 hours to reach this place, mainly because of the military checkpoints and traffic jams while getting out of Beirut. From Douris you can then jump into a sedan-like servees towards Baalbek. It will drop you almost in front of the gate for 1000 Lebanese Pound. Be aware that some drivers will try to charge double rate to foreigners.
Another important note: try to go back to Beirut around 6-7pm latest. There are minivans driving back directly from Baalbek, but they stop operating quite early. Make sure you find the right waiting spot by asking the locals.
Have you been to the ruins yourself? Or are you planning to? Let me know about your experiences and advice in the comments below !
Violence continued between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah militia on Monday, with two Hezbollah fighters and one Israeli soldier killed in attacks.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said two people had been killed in an Israeli attack on Houla and later Hezbollah said two of its fighters had been killed there.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on its Telegram channel that it had "struck Hezbollah terrorists in the area of Houla in southern Lebanon." It also hit a launcher and military structures in the areas of Ayta ash Shab and Hanine, the IDF said.
It did not comment on casualties.
Hezbollah usually does not elaborate on when, where and how its members die, but said later in a statement the dead were two of its fighters.
An Israeli soldier was killed and several others injured, one of them seriously, in a drone attack mounted on Monday from Lebanon across Israel's northern border, an IDF spokesman said.
The 45-year-old soldier was a member of the IDF's Desert Reconnaissance Battalion.
According to the spokesman, five drones armed with explosives were launched from bases operated by Hezbollah. Israel's Iron Dome defence system intercepted three of them, but two managed to get through.
Hezbollah claimed several attacks on Israeli troops and military positions in northern Israel, including a drone strike on a base and an attack on Israeli soldiers. The militia said they were trying to "infiltrate" the Lebanese border.
Meanwhile, a series of Israeli strikes targeted pro-Iranian Hezbollah-controlled areas in eastern Lebanon wounding at least eight people, security sources said.
Lebanon's Health Ministry, in a statement, said that the Israeli strikes wounded eight people, "including six Lebanese citizens, a five-year-old Syrian girl, and a fifteen-year-old Syrian girl."
The state-run news agency (NNA) said a series of airstrikes hit eastern and southern Lebanon. It said the towns in the Baalbek district were targeted by at least three Israeli air strikes.
The Israeli army said Israeli fighter jets struck a number of Hezbollah weapon storage facilities. It said secondary explosions were identified, indicating "large amounts of weapons in the facilities struck."
Since the war in the Gaza Strip began more than 10 months ago, there have been daily military confrontations between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and other groups in the border area between the countries.
There were casualties on both sides, most of them members of Hezbollah.
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Field visit to arsal municipality to assess the state of water and sanitation services.
On 23 July, a fact-finding mission to Arsal municipality in Lebanon’s Baalbek District, led by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza and including WHO Representative in Lebanon Dr Abdinasir Abubakar, UNICEF deputy representative Ettie Higgins, Head of Office for OCHA Kristen Knutson and representatives of stakeholders, including the Ministry of Public Health and other ministries, assessed the challenges facing access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and the associated public health risks.
The mission began with a meeting at the office of Baalbek-Hermel Governor Bachir Khodr, followed by a meeting at the Arsal Municipality where challenges, bottlenecks and opportunities were raised by neighbourhood- and village-level representatives who voiced concerns over the quality of water being delivered to their homes, the lack of a water filtration station, growing population pressures on the system and the unequal distribution of humanitarian aid. Ministry of Energy and Water and WASH sector representatives pointed out that there was no evidence of contamination of domestic water supplies.
A visit to Al Iman Health Centre and acute watery diarrhoea sentinel site was undertaken to better understand the burden of disease and health programme operational challenges faced by primary health care facilities. Mission members took the opportunity to thank the centre’s staff for their hard work in extremely difficult circumstances.
The next stop was an informal settlement in Arsal, comprising 63 households, which has experienced recurring sanitation and wastewater removal issues. The final leg of the mission’s itinerary was to the wastewater dumping ponds on the outskirts of Arsal.
The visit highlighted the problems faced by residents of Arsal, which hosts a significant number of Syrian refugees.
After the visit, Imran Riza said: “Opportunities exist to build sustainable and effective solutions to key water, sanitation and health challenges. Communities’ concerns should inform how we move ahead.”
Dr Abubakar highlighted the importance of engaging with “local communities and partners to gain a better understanding of health and WASH situation”.
“Humanitarian needs among Arsal’s communities are high and an urgent response is needed.”
He thanked Governor Bashir Khodr for welcoming the UN team, saying: “We value the collaboration between the governor's office and humanitarian partners to better address the needs of local communities in Arsal and other locations.”
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Lebanon: flash update #24 - escalation of hostilities in south lebanon, as of 08 august 2024, lebanon: at a glance - escalation of hostilities in south lebanon, as of 8 august 2024 [en/ar].
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This post is a travel guide about how to visit Baalbek in Lebanon and about my experience travelling from Beirut to Baalbek on a daytrip. Baalbek ios among the best places to visit in Lebanon, especially if you love history.. Up untill the last moment I hesitated whether I should travel from Beirut to Baalbek, because of its proximity to Syria.
A visit to Baalbek The temple complex in Baalbek is made up of three edifices: The temple of Jupiter; adjacent to it is the Temple of Bacchus, and the circular shaped Temple of Venus. There is a fourth temple named after the deity, Mercury, from which remained only a pile of rubble and a big stairway sculpted in stones overlooking the hill of ...
3.3K. One of the highlights of my visit to the Middle East would have to be Baalbek Lebanon, with its Roman ruins and giant megalithic stones. This temple dates back to ancient times, and it can be visited pretty easily on a day trip from the Beirut area.
One of the enormous foundation stones at Baalbek, whose origins remain a mystery (YouTube) "The stones for the second phase of Jupiter Temple are especially remarkable because of their ...
Why should travelers visit the Baalbek Ruins in Lebanon? Travelers should consider visiting the Baalbek Ruins in Lebanon for a variety of compelling reasons: Historical Significance: The Baalbek Ruins are a testament to Lebanon's rich history and its role as a crossroads of civilizations. The site has been occupied by various cultures over ...
Lebanon is known for its tasty pastries like Manou'ch, sweets and much more. This Baalbek specialty, called the Safeeha Baalbakiyyeh, is a meat-based pocket. It is made by placing a mixture of meat, onion, pepper and spices on the dough and forming a square. It is a variation of the normal Safiha you might have encountered, which is the same ...
Other attractions near Baalbek. If you're planning a visit to Baalbek, there are a number of other attractions in the surrounding area that are worth checking out. Here are a few options: Anjar: This ancient Islamic city was built in the 8th century. It's located around 15 kilometres south of Baalbek, and it has been declared a UNESCO World ...
July 10, 2024. Baalbeck is a city in Lebanon that needs no introduction. One of Lebanon's most popular tourist destinations, its astounding Temple of Bacchus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts thousands of tourists every year. Photo - Rami Rizk. The city's history spans back to the early Phoenician times and crosses into the ...
Lebanon is home to a wealth of cultural sites, and Baalbek—one of the most important ancient cities in the Middle East—stands at the top of the list. Temple at Baalbek, Lebanon. Baalbek overflows with ancient charm with its awe-inspiring ruins and its picturesque landscape. Few places can offer as much beauty and mystery as this incredible ...
Baalbek. Baalbek بَعلبَك is one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in Lebanon and one of the country's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Baalbeck or 'Heliopolis' as it was known is the site of great ancient temples built by the Phoenicians, the Romans, and other civilisations that have conquered the region and enjoyed the fertile ...
The temple complex lies in the middle of the town of Baalbek, about 85km north-east of Beirut. This is considered 'Hezbollah territory', it's wise to go with a tour group or private driver who's familiar with the area. As there's very little signage around the ruins, a tour guide can be very useful here.
Baalbek, an archaeological site in Lebanon, was a temple of the Phoenician Sun-god Baal-Hadad, the Roman god Jupiter, the Greek god Jupiter. World Pilgrimage Guide. Global. ... In the 1700's, European explorers began to visit the ruins and in 1898 the German emperor, William II organized the first restoration of the ancient temples. ...
According to the British Ministry of Foreign affairs, it is safe to visit the city of Baalbek, but not its surrounding areas. Thus, for a total local experience, spend a night or two in the city. By doing so, you can be the first and the last one to visit the temples. There are two great hotels in the city of Baalbek.
Baalbek is approximately 85 kilometers east of Beirut. Lebanon-R-Us is one local company offering tours of the city and its sights; +961 76 513 800. The monolith and Abdul's cafe are located ...
Once known as Heliopolis, Baalbek is situated just miles from Lebanon's border with Syria, making them the least-visited ruins in the world. You'll find three temples dedicated to Venus, Jupiter, and Bacchus, all built on a massive platform with courtyards, statues, fountains, and other buildings. And these temples are the most awe-inspiring ...
All the information needed to help you with the organization of your Meetings, Incentives, Congress and Events in Lebanon. Visit Lebanon - Leisure Website All the touristic information for the Leisure professionals including itineraries ideas, practical information, etc. in Lebanon.
Private Anjar and Baalbek Tour from Beirut with Departure Ticket. 79. Visit two sets of archaeological ruins during this private full-day excursion to Roman-era Baalbeck and 8th-century Anjar. Travel comfortably by private chauffeured vehicle, with free hotel pickup and drop-off within Beirut.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, few visitors can currently travel to Baalbek, a city in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley that houses some of the Roman Empire's greatest temple ruins. Luckily, a new ...
Baalbek بَعلبَك is the most spectacular archaeological site in Lebanon.Baalbeck or 'Heliopolis' as it was known is the site of great ancient temples built by the Phoenicians, the Romans, and other civilisations that have conquered the region and enjoyed the fertile soil of the Bekaa Valley.Some of the most celebrated temples are the ones of Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, and Jupiter ...
Note added November 2023: And now the war between Israel and Hamas is leaking over into Lebanon as Hezbollah gets involved. Stay away from the border with Israel and read the official travel advisories! Baalbek Roman Ruins in Baalbek, Lebanon: open daily 9-18:00. Admission fee: 15,000 Lebanese pounds ($10/€9).
Baalbek, large archaeological complex encompassing the ruins of an ancient Roman town in eastern Lebanon. Among its notable ruins are a Temple of Jupiter and a Temple of Bacchus, and an annual music festival takes place at the temple complex. Baalbek was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.
Baalbek [a] (/ ˈ b ɑː l b ɛ k, ˈ b eɪ ə l b ɛ k /; [5] Arabic: بَعْلَبَكّ, romanized: Baʿlabakk; Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about 67 km (42 mi) northeast of Beirut.It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. [6] In 1998, Baalbek had a population of 82,608, mostly Shia Muslims, followed by Sunni ...
The Baalbek ruins are located inside Lebanon's troubled Beqaa valley. This region sees a high threat of spillovers from the war in nearby Syria. Located at the edge of Lebanon's most troubled region, the city of Baalbek hosts the largest Roman ruins in the world. With the ongoing war in Syria just miles away, a common question is whether it ...
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched strikes on a weapons depot belonging to the Lebanese Hizballah (LH) in Tamnine El Tahta, Baalbek District, Aug. 19. There have been reports of casualties or significant material damage.
Lebanon's Health Ministry, in a statement, said that the Israeli strikes wounded eight people, "including six Lebanese citizens, a five-year-old Syrian girl, and a fifteen-year-old Syrian girl."
On 23 July, a fact-finding mission to Arsal municipality in Lebanon's Baalbek District, led by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza and including WHO Representative in ...
"Our citizens should avoid traveling to Lebanon unless it is essential; Our citizens in Lebanon are advised to be cautious, not to go to Nabatiyeh, South Lebanon, Bekaa and Baalbek-Hermel ...
2 March - An IDF strike on a car in the coastal road of Naqoura kills a senior Hezbollah official and two other members of Hezbollah's Imam Hussein Division. [10] [11] It is reported that among them was the grandson of Hassan Nasrallah.[12]4 March An anti-tank missile from Lebanon kills an Indian foreign worker and injures seven others in Margaliot, Israel.