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. |
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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
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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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| 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 CourtBuilt in the 2nd century A.D., covered
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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 JupiterAfter
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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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
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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