Baalbek

Far, far away in the land of Lebanon, somewhere in the great unknown, where east mountain ranges meet west, there stands a mysterious city. A place of worship, of ruin, made of granite and marble. A place built during the Roman Empire and that has conquered and been conquered throughout the ages. These relics, this masterpiece, oh, how great a city it is.

East of the Litani River just outside Beirut, is a mountain of rough marble and white granite, an ancient Phoenician city, called Baalbek. The site was named after the Phoenician deity Baal, and for some reason there are a few different spellings of the title. It's also written Balbec, Baalbec, Baalbeck, Baalbek or Baʿalbek. I'm just not sure what's going on with that. It's like Wikipedia has a stutter.

In 9,000 BC it was a place of worship for religions of all kinds: Christian, Islam, Mesopotamian and Roman. The ruins are impressive, with magnificent monuments and towering columns. There is a quarry nearby made of limestone said to be the source of all the blocks. Baalbek also had different names throughout the ages, Heliopolis or 'City of the Sun' under Alexander the Great, and later Al-Qalaa or 'The Fortress' under Muslim rule.

During the Ottoman Empire, these ruins were left for naught. Natural disasters in the form of earthquakes and storms cracked and damaged the site until 1898, when an Emperor by the name of Wilhelm II came to visit from Germany and decided to do his best to restore what was left of it and keep it preserved. He sent a team of archeologists to excavate and protect it from further damage.

Archeologists haven't figured out how these rocks ended up here. Seeing as the monoliths weigh up to 300 tons each, it's a complete mystery just how these stones were moved and with what, and how they were cut, so many thousands of years ago. This mystery may never fully be unraveled and understood.

The temple of Baachus is a magnificent example of Imperial Roman Architecture. The 31 meter high columns enclose some of the most refined sculptures and relics to survive the classical era.

Built around 150 - 250AD, the temple went in and out of protection during different periods of war and persecution. It was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984 and is one of the grandest, best preserved Roman temples in the world. No match for my smile though.

Aside from the perplexing questions on how all the stones and columns were lifted and how all was built, there is also a lack of documentation to identify who built the site in the first place. Subsequently, there are many legends (some more likely than others) as to how this magical city came to be: Nimrod commanded giants to build it, Solomon with some genies for the Queen of Sheba, Cain to hide from God after killing Abel, aliens who designated it as a landing pad for their spaceships, the stories are numerous and imaginative. But still, no one true story has much evidence to support it, and as more time goes by there can only be more speculation.

One thing I do know, is that these stones make for some fairly good selfie material.

And, with fascination and awe swirling in my mind, I wondered and ogled not only at the all encompassing beauty before my eyes, but at the overwhelming mystery and elusiveness behind these stones and structures. What a story they would tell, if they could. The sun began to set. The rays of light leaked through the clouds, undulating their silver frosted feathers in the blue-grey sky. And with one last photo, I said goodnight to the incomprehensible, magnificent city of Baalbek.

Until we meet again, Lebanon.

Bailey Sue