This and the second temple, with its cellar almost intact, make up one of
the most beautiful and famous of ancient monuments. Baalbeck is indeed a place
where the visitors can still recapture the fascination and atmosphere of the
past.
Baalbeck is called "the City of the
Sun". It`s the site of one of the most magnificent and
best preserved Roman temples in the world.
The gigantic Acropolis was built
between the 1st and 4th centuries AD, on the grounds of an ancient Phoenician
temple dedicated to the worship of Baal, a semitic deity. The Roman adopted the
Greek name of the town, Heliopolis (city of sun), and dedicated the new temples
to the cults of Jupiter, Bacchus and Venus (according to the website for the
Baalbeck Festival www.baalbeck.org.lb/english/main.htm).
Construction of the gigant temple
of Jupiter, the largest of the three, began during the reign of Emperor
Augustus, (27 B.C. - 14 A.D.), and was completed around AD 60 during the
reign of Emperor Nero (54 - 68).
There are legends to explain its exceptional size, its gigantic proportions
and huge blocks, particularly the three which each measure between 19-20 m. by
4.50 m. by 3.60 m. An even greater block still lies in the quarry (according to
the website for Tourisme in Lebanon: www.tourisminlebanon.com). How could
humans at that time built such a monument? They must have
been great constructors and ingeniours. Or it is another explanation far from
our reasonable thinking?
An archaeologist has declared
that this block alone would make a visit to Baalbeck worthwhile. For centuries
the place and monuments have been connected with biblical figures, mankind
before the flood, with giants and djinns, and even recently an apparently
serious scientist, believe that the great temple`s platform, has been an
landing site for visitors from another planet in the past. Maybe they
also built the rest of the monuments?
Stein Morten Lund, 16 March 2004
Additional information
Lebanon is located on the
eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The country is 215 km long, and from
east to west the distance ranges from 25 to 90 km. It is bordered by Syria to
the north and east, and by occupied Palestine to the south.
Read more on the website for Tourisme in Lebanon. www.tourisminlebanon.com
Tourism in
Lebanon:
Beirut
Lebanon, El
Nada bldg 3d floor - Salim Salam main road
Tel/Fax :
961-1-363240
Mobile :
961-3-946677
email : info@tourismlebanon.com
Check out the Baalbeck Festival in July - August this
year (2004): the biggest annual Lebanese artistic event
held in historical Baalbeck Roman ruins in the Bekaa Valley. Great
international names participate in the festival. News, history, previous
programs, tentative schedule for this year. Click on the link: www.baalbeck.org.lb/english/main.htm
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