Baalbek

#65 - Beirut, Lebanon

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It's a present-tense historical wonder.

The detailed temple ruins date back to the Roman period when Baalbek was known as Heliopolis and was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Empire. The settlement dates back about 9,000 years and since then it has been passed on from culture to culture, which has influenced it's development immensely, making it our #65 AbsoluteVisit.

Slide 1: Baalbek Great Court Temple of Bacchus

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Slide 2: Baalbek Great Court center altar

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Slide 3: Baalbek Hexagonal court

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Slide 4: Baalbek Temple of Bacchus

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Slide 5: Baalbek Temple of Jupiter

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Slide 6: Baalbek Temple of Jupiter ruins

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Slide 7: Baalbek temple ruins

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Quick Facts & History

The ancient Romans must have had a few construction secrets when they built Baalbek in Beirut, Lebanon. It has been continuously inhabited for over 9,000 years and houses some of the greatest architectural and engineering feats of all time.
The Temple of Jupiter was intended to be the largest religious complex of the entire Roman Empire. However, it is the architecture beneath the temple that is truly impressive, using the three largest building blocks ever used in the world. Each block is a massive 70 feet (21 meters) long, 14 feet (4 meters) high, 10 feet (3 meters) thick, and weigh in at about 800 tons (725,748 kg).
No one has any idea how these massive stones were moved and placed beneath the Temple of Jupiter because they are not broken into pieces but remain single, solid blocks.
The Temple of Jupiter itself is 290 feet (88 meters) long and 160 feet (49 meters) wide and remains one of the worlds largest and best preserved ancient Roman monuments. There are also two other massive temple complexes at Baalbek, dedicated to Venus and Bacchus.
Originally there were 54 columns adorning the Temple of Jupiter, and now only 6 remain. However, these columns are the largest in the world measuring 75 feet (22.9 meters) high and 7 feet (2.2 meters).