The Temples at Baalbek

The remains of the largest Roman temple ever built are not to be found in Rome or even in Europe. Instead you can find them in Lebanon, at Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley. Sue and I visited these remains several times in 1970-71, when we lived in Beirut.

The Temple of Jupiter has largely been destroyed by earthquakes but six enormous columns survive to stretch up far into the sky.

A detail of the Temple of Jupiter

The nearby Temple of Bacchus is less impressive but is still mainly intact.

The Temple of Bacchus

The entrance to the Temple of Bacchus

Interior of the Temple of Bacchus

Inside the portico

The portico ceiling

Note:

Since we lived in Beirut, the Bekaa Valley and Baalbek have been subject to several Israeli air raids and attacks. Hopefully the Roman ruins have not been too badly damaged in these attacks.