The Soaring Roman Ruins of Baalbek in Lebanon

At the foot of the fertile Beqaa Valley, framed by the towering heights of Mount Lebanon, lie the ruins of Baalbek - the largest Roman temple complex in the world, and one of the most intriguing historic sites in Lebanon.

Having endured countless sieges, a Mongol sack, and centuries of looting - including the removal of eight monumental Corinthian columns by Emperor Justinian, which were transported to Istanbul to be incorporated into Hagia Sophia - the ruins, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, came under renewed threat in November 2024 when Israeli bombardment came within metres of the site, killing eight civilians.

Originally a Canaanite settlement, Baalbek was conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 BC, who renamed it Heliopolis. It reached its zenith under Imperial Rome, becoming a major cult centre for pagan deities. It also hosted a renowned oracle, who consulted the Roman emperor Trajan before his ill-fated campaign against the Parthians.

Amongst the surviving structures is the Temple of Jupiter - with soaring porticos made of pink granite shipped from Aswan, it is twice the size of the Parthenon in Athens, and is easily one of the most imposing sites here. The best preserved of all Baalbek’s temples, however, is that of the shrine of Baachus, the Roman god of wine, pleasure and insanity. Enduring the ravages of dozens of earthquakes, the temple's edifice is still adorned with elaborate friezes of mythological scenes detailing the riotous exploits of the decadent god and intricate floral carvings of vines dripping with grapes - alluding to the surrounding valley's history of wine cultivation that continues until the present.

Although contemporary written records about Baalbek are scarce, the site likely hosted infamous and highly secretive Bacchanalia festivals. Condemned by the clearly scandalised Roman historian Livy in the 1st century AD, these festivals were said to involve participants, intoxicated by copious amounts of wine, performing ritualistic orgies and tearing apart live animals whose raw flesh were then devoured.

For many travellers and archaeologists, what has most gripped their imagination about the site is the presence of the so-called ‘Baalbek stones’ - six megalithic stone blocks, each weighing up to 800 tonnes. Meticulously chiseled from a neighbouring quarry, these immense blocks are feats of engineering that seem impossible to move and position without modern technology.  The most famous of these is the so-called Stone of the Pregnant Woman, or Hajar al-Habali. Shrouded in local legend, it is said that the stone was created by pregnant jinn, supernatural beings from Arabian folklore

After its conquest by the Arabs in the 7th century, Baalbek re-emerged as a prosperous trading town, periodically falling foul of earthquakes and marauding armies. In the 14th century it was visited by the famed Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta, who in his travelogue wrote fondly of the town and his awe at the ancient ruin’s dazzling dimensions.

In the modern era, Baalbek became synonymous with  the international jetset, playing host to the Baalbek International Festival with international superstars - from Umm Kulthum and Fairuz to Nina Simone and Joan Baez - performing to the backdrop of the ruins. The Palmyra Hotel, which is located just opposite the site’s entrance, is a historic site in and of itself. This 156-year-old hotel, alongside Baron’s of Aleppo and Cecil’s of Alexandria, is considered one of the Middle East’s most legendary. Its veranda, which overlooks the ruins, has hosted an array of distinguished figures, including the last Shah of Iran, German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, Ella Fitzgerald and Albert Einstein.