Exquisite Ruins

Baalbek, Lebanon

Baalbek, Lebanon. A place known as the seat of the Hezbollah. A place that defies prejudices and misconceptions. It's a nice and friendly place in a beautiful fertile valley below the high mountain ridges. It's a small town with not much going on.
There are a few old buildings in a not so good preservation state and a small souq - neither of these attractive enough for travellers. The old mosque is superb with its arches and columns but to get inside you need a bit of luck. Most of the time the gate is locked.

However, what puts Baalbek on any traveller's map is its archeological site. And Baalbek is magnificent, like a very precious and exquisite gem. Despite its reduced size it will leave an ever lasting impression on any visitor.

In my humble opinion - and I've met others who shared this opinion - Baalbek beats Palmyra. It shows once again that bigger is not necessarily also better.

The whole site has lots of friezes and stone carving details you don't find in other places. You can easily imagine how the site must have looked like in its heyday. But the Temple of Bacchus is definitely the jewel on the crown. It is in a remarkably well preserved state with its delicate carvings and details and its huge columns still standing. And it is overwhelming as well. The sheer size of the masonry blocks sets you in awe.
Beneath the columns you feel dwarfed and powerless and you can only marvel at it and wonder how the Romans were capable of constructing at this scale. If building to last was their objective, building to show off their skills and power and glory, they certainly succeeded!