Lebanon Baalbek Ruins

Baalbek, the city of Baal (the phoenician deity), which was known to the Romans by its greek name Heliopolis (the city of sun), is one of the most mysterious ruins of the roman empire. The city of Baalbek is located in Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, about 67 km from the capital city Beirut.

The ruins originated from a temple build approx. more than two thounsads years ago. The exact origins of the temple are still not fully known. Moreover, it is still unknown why the greek/romans used this temple, far away from the coast. The Temple is mostly known for its massive pillars and stones, especially the ruins of the temple of Jupiter (shown in this image) and the ruins of the temple of Bacchus.

The most interesting thing about this site is that it shows different historical stages in one place. The city was first built by phoenicians, followed by greek, romans and lastley arabs. Each of these cultures left their architectural fingerprints in the site.

Further facts about the site: it contains the largest stones ever quarried in human history. The largest one of them, the "Forgotten Stone", weighs approximatley 1.650 tons, whose height is still unknown because it is still partialy burried.

If you happen to visit Lebanon, Baalbek must be on your bucketlist

I shot the site mostly with a wide-angle and mid-tele lenses. A 16-50 mm range is ideal for this site

There is a parking near the ruins site (costs approx. 50 cents). The Entry to the site costs approx. 10 dollars