Baalbek (Heliopolis)

The remains of the staircase

Baalbek or Heliopolis (Ἡλιούπολις, "sun city"): town in the northern Bekaa valley, site of the largest sanctuary in the Roman world.

History

Photos

Temple of Mercury

The presence of another temple in Baalbek was known from the coins of the Roman emperor Philip the Arab (r.244-249). It has been identified at Sheikh Abdallah Hill, not far from the barracks of the Lebanese army, but only a flight of stairs survives.

A satellite photo of the stairs can be seen here. The temple itself must have been a bit more to the southwest, on the summit of the hill. Stones of the ancient sanctuary have been reused in a local Muslim shrine.

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