Baalbek in Lebanon
Baalbek or Heliopolis (Sun City) is perhaps the most significant archaeological site in the world. It is located near the Lebanese town of the same name, it is built on a high plateau in a fertile river valley of the forecastle, which runs the eponymous region in the country. Here is the capital Beirut at a distance of 85 km to the southwest. The natural picture is complemented by parallel mountain ranges located in Lebanon.
In 1984, the object was included in the list of World Heritage by UNESCO, in its characterization of his organization it notes that Baalbek is one of the most impressive examples of Imperial Roman architecture at the time of its apogee.
Indeed in this area the Lebanese Baalbek is the largest complex of the Roman temples. Some of the columns that were built in those ancient times are among the highest in the world, and there are stone blocks weighing nearly 1000 tons. With these dimensions, they are automatically deemed to be the largest ever used for construction activities.
The foundations of Baalbek were placed in 15 BC during the reign of Julius Caesar when he began to build the temple of Jupiter. It is characterized by huge boulders, some of which reach 800 tons. According to stories about the construction, the complex began long before the first century BC
Around 3000 years earlier there the temple of their god Baal-Hadid was constructed, as evidenced by some boulders. During the Hellenic period (333-64 BC) the Greeks erected the podium to the west of the church to retain its classical form. Ultimately, the Romans erected the temple Jupiter that was completed at the end of the management of Nero.
In the next years and centuries they have consistently raised the temple of Venus and the Temple of Bakhus and then later suffered quite extensive damage in 2006, but until then is considered the best preserved Roman temple in the world.
If you decide to visit this spectacular archaeological complex it is best to do so between March and May or in the period from September to November because of the controversial Lebanese territory tourist flow in Baalbek is over whelming.
