There are many more mysterious places on earth. And one of them is the ancient city of Baalbek (Lebanon). Very little is known about the creation of this settlement, to say nothing. At the same time, its scale and architecture are striking in its grandeur. And today, incredible energy and strength is felt here. We will tell you what the researchers think about the creation of the city of Baalbek, what was there before and what can be seen today.
Geographical position
About 80 km from Beirut is the ancient city of Baalbek (Lebanon). It is located in a wide valley between the mountain ranges of Lebanon and Antilivan, at an altitude of 1130 meters above sea level and between two rivers - Oront and Litani. But there is no river in the city itself; here, water has always been a very significant value. The fertile valley in which the city lies is called El-Beka'a. From ancient times, this territory was attractive not only for its productivity, but also for its very convenient location; caravan routes to Damascus and Tire ran along it.
Time of creation
In places where today the ruins of Baalbek (Lebanon) lie, people have lived since time immemorial. There is evidence that people lived on the territory of the country 6 thousand years ago, and archaeologists find the remains of the sites of the 7th and even 8th millennium BC. However, there is no reliable data on the time of Baalbek's appearance, scientists are sure that the city is one of the oldest on Earth, but when it appeared, no one can answer yet.
Documentary story
The ancient settlement of Baalbek (Lebanon) was first mentioned in documentary sources in 322 BC. e. At this time, Phenicia, an ancient powerful state, located on the territory of modern Lebanon, was conquered by Alexander the Great. In the documents telling about the victories of the great commander, it is mentioned that he had captured a large city. In those days, Baalbek was an important religious center, here they worshiped the god Baal, the supreme ruler in the Western Semitic religions. It was this deity that gave the name to the city. The second patron of the city was Dionysus, the god of viticulture. However, the city did not have much economic or political significance. It is not surprising that it is not mentioned in either the Assyrian or Egyptian texts, which quite often speak of other important cities in the region. When Alexander the Great died, his empire began to disintegrate, and Baalbek, together with Phenicia, was taken over by Ptolemy, a close friend and ally of Macedon. By tradition, the Greeks decided to rename the city and named it Heliopolis. This is due to the fact that the Greeks associated the god of Baal with either Zeus or Helios. Therefore, the city received the name of the sun god.
Due to its favorable location, Baalbek constantly attracted the attention of the invaders, he passed from hand to hand countless times. In 200 BC e. Ptolemaic Heliopolis is conquered by Antiochus the Great, ruler of the state of the Seleucids. After some time, the Seleucids lose power over Baalbek, and he passes under the control of the Roman Empire. The troops of the Roman emperor Octavian Augustus conquer the city and turn it into a Roman colony. As usual, the Romans are building a lot in their colonies. The golden age of the city begins in the time of Julius Caesar, during this period several grandiose Roman temples were built in Baalbek. In the 4th century, Emperor Constantine introduced a ban on the worship of pagan cults and the first Christian church was built here. In 660, the city became the cause of a great conflict between Muawii and Ali over the caliphate. In the 7th century, the city was captured by Arabs under the leadership of the famous commander Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah. They organize a fortress in the city, destroying part of the buildings of previous times.
Destruction
In 1401, Baalbek was attacked by hordes of Tamerlane, the founder of the great Timurid dynasty. By their tradition, the Mongol hordes destroy everything that they meet in their path. And the fact that the troops of Tamerlane did not destroy, in 1759, destroys a powerful earthquake. So the ruins of Baalbek appear, the photos of which today still show a picture that has developed back in the 18th century. Nobody began to rebuild the almost destroyed city, local residents built nearby their unremarkable dwellings and continued to live next to these traces of the past.
The study
The ruined temples of Baalbek (Lebanon), the photo of which makes a grand impression, attracted the attention of the first travelers back in the 16th century. Europeans exploring the exotic East considered it their duty to call in Baalbek to look at the remains of outstanding buildings. Historians from the 19th century periodically turned their eyes to the ruins of Baalbek. In the 19th century, many travelers, including famous ones, came here to see with their own eyes the remains of the magnificent past of the city. G. Flaubert, M. Twain, I. Bunin visited here, writers recorded their impressions of visiting this interesting place. In 1898, German scientists first began a full-scale study of Baalbek, archaeological excavations lasted 5 years. After World War I, the territory of Lebanon fell under the protectorate of France, and French scientists began to take up the ruins. During the struggle for the independence of Lebanon and during the years of the civil war, Baalbek was not interested in anyone. And only after the establishment of a new independent government, archaeologists again began to study the city, and tourists got the opportunity to see the oldest settlement with their own eyes.
Riddles of history
Despite the fact that Baalbek (Lebanon) has long been investigated by scientists, its history has more mysteries than reliably known facts. Scientists quite accurately established the time of construction of the temples of Jupiter and Venus, it refers to the Roman period. But it is also reliably known that temples were erected on the site of earlier, very large-scale structures. But it’s not known when they were built and by whom. Scientists do not even have any convincing assumptions. They argue that all known civilizations did not have such technologies that would allow such structures to be erected. Throughout its existence, Baalbek is accompanied by myths and legends that explain its origin.
Legends
Different peoples in their own way explain the emergence of such a large-scale city as Baalbek. Thus, according to the biblical interpretation, the city was built by Cain, the son of the first man Adam. After he killed his brother Abel out of envy, the god Yahweh cursed Cain, and he was expelled from the human community. He found refuge in the valley of the Lebanese mountains, where he built the city. The patriarch of the Lebanese Maronite community, Estfan Doveigi, who studied ancient legends, claims that Cain built the city to hide from the wrath of God in 133 from Christmas. He populated the city with giants, who created many outrages on these lands, for which the Flood was sent to the city.
According to another biblical legend, Baalbek was built by King Nimrod, he was known for his buildings, in particular, the Tower of Babel was allegedly built under him. According to legend, Nimrod sent the giants to restore Baalbek after the Great Flood. This indirectly indicates that the city existed in early biblical times. For Jews, the city of Baalbek is considered the birthplace of the prophet Ilyas, sent to the people of Israel. They also believed that the city was built by King Solomon.
Temple of Jupiter
Ancient Baalbek attracts tourists with its large-scale buildings. The temple complex of the city includes three buildings of the Roman period. The main temple of Baalbek in Lebanon was dedicated to Jupiter. The length of the building was 90 meters and the width was 50. In order to go up to the temple, one had to go up the stairs of 27 steps. At each step, 100 people could line up in a row, it was the widest staircase in the world. The walls of the temple were decorated with elaborate carvings, and its remains can still be seen on scattered stones. The temple of Jupiter was surrounded by a colonnade of 52 columns. Each is 20 meters high and 2.5 meters in diameter. You will not see such a scale anywhere else in the world. Today you can see 6 surviving columns and many debris. Each column consists of three cylinders perfectly polished and fitted to each other. The weight of each element is approximately 45 tons.
Temples of Bacchus and Venus
The second temple in Baalbek is dedicated to the goddess of love Venus. It is considered the most elegant building of the complex. This is a rotunda with a dome and a portico, which is supported by two rows of columns. The temple of Bacchus, or Bacchus, is best preserved; in it you can see beautiful decorations in the form of carvings, sculptures, amphorae. The courtyard of the temple complex is located significantly above ground level, and under it are the catacombs. Today, the museum is located in the dungeons.
Baalbek terrace
The main attraction of Baalbek are not even Roman temples, but the foundation on which stands the sanctuary of Jupiter. It is called the Baalbek terrace. At a height of 7 meters are huge megaliths, on the basis of which a Roman temple was erected. According to an ancient legend, these stones are here forever and have always been revered as sacred. But not only their size is amazing, but also the perfect fit to each other. You cannot even stretch a sheet of paper between carefully ground stones.
Megaliths
Baalbek (Lebanon) attracts the attention of tourists from all over the world with huge stone blocks. These megaliths are at least 7 thousand years old. Under the Roman temples during excavations, three stone blocks were discovered. They are called Baalbek Trilithon. The weight of each stone is estimated at 800 tons. The blocks are tightly fitted to each other, even water does not seep through the crack between them. The stones lie at an altitude of about 7 meters and make up the main mystery of Baalbek: who and why turned them and raised them to such a height? But the South Stone is considered the most famous, this fourth megalith was discovered in a nearby quarry. Its length is more than 21 meters, and its weight is about 2 thousand tons. It is visible on the stone that it was machined with chisels, it lies at an angle, it was not pulled out from the place of processing. Why? This is another mystery of Baalbek.
Versions
Scientists believe that the Baalbek megaliths were created 5 or even 7 thousand years ago. Why, who and why erected this building, what technologies were used at the same time - all these are questions that do not have an exact answer, but there are several versions.
The first version is that the city was built by the Egyptians, it even finds supporters in the scientific community. According to this hypothesis, local ancient temples were erected by Egyptian priests, as indicated by similarities with the buildings of Ancient Egypt. But most researchers claim that the Egyptian pyramids, also built from huge boulders, are younger than the megaliths from Lebanon. Therefore, the similarity of the structures of Lebanon and Egypt only proves that the Egyptians took advantage of the tricks with which the Baalbek platform was built. There are versions that the stones were carved by previous, extinct civilizations and even aliens. None of the versions, of course, have evidence.
There are several versions of how stone blocks weighing a thousand tons were transported. It is believed that some special rollers were being built, but what material could support such a weight is not clear. Some people think that in those days there were some gigantic animals used as draft power. But this version is debunked by biologists. There are even those who suggest that the early civilizations owned teleportation. To prove this, they recall the stones of Stonehenge, which were also transferred to the installation site in an unknown way. One way or another, Baalbek's riddles have no clue.
Baalbek today
Modern Lebanon is a parliamentary republic with a special confessional model of governance. The state makes a big bet in its economic development on tourism. One of the centers of tourist pilgrimage is the ancient Baalbek. Modern Baalbek is a city in Lebanon, the administrative center of the district of the same name, which is part of the Bekaa province, the largest in the country, bordering Syria. About 25 thousand people live in the city, the ethnic composition of the inhabitants is heterogeneous: Greeks, Armenians, Arabs. Today, Baalbek does not have a prominent place in the world and in Lebanon. This is a modest village in which archaeological excavations are constantly conducted and tourists roam.
Tourists reviews
Today, ancient Baalbek and megaliths are Lebanon 's most famous landmark. Thousands of antiquity lovers come here every year. Tourists in their reviews note that today this place retains amazing energy. Here a person feels his insignificance against the background of eternity. Travelers note that a visit to Baalbek leaves an indelible impression that cannot be forgotten.