On a Lebanese mountain slope close to the Syrian border, the monumental temple complex at Baalbek is one of the largest remaining Roman structures in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site. On a winter day during the Lebanese revolution with very few other visitors, it was a stunning site to visit.
Old men in overcoats are warming themselves at the gas stove when we arrive at the iconic Hotel Palmyra in Baalbek. It's the oldest hotel in town, and even the German Kaiser Wilhelm II stayed here when he visited the Holy Land back in 1898. The charming grand lobby appears rather unchanged since then.
We have come to Baalbek using several minibuses from Beirut. It was already noon by the time we arrived and we are eager to explore the famous Baalbek we can already see opposite the hotel entrance. But first, we search the tiny village of Baalbek for some food – eventually ending up with an espresso and an Ülker chocolate bar at a kiosk. Another customer orders two hot teas, lengthily deliberating: "Umm, no, no black tea, I think I would prefer the lemon verbena herb tea". Which happens to be on the top shelf and quite difficult to reach for the elderly vendor …
Just behind the temple entrance some flights of stairs lead to the main buildings – the huge Roman temple was built on the site of ancient settlements, the remains of which were already rising several meters above the ground.
It takes us quite a while just to explore the propylaea and the courtyards – all around are carved columns and niches, and the main courtyard alone, with remains of huge altars and wash basins, is about the size of a football field.
Finally, a further flight of stairs goes up to the main temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus Heliopolitanus, where some impressive 20 m high columns are still left standing. The temple was so strongly built and stood so high above the valley that later Islamic dynasties used it as a fortress, adding moats and further fortifications.
Next to the Jupiter temple, another temple is even better preserved, with the walls of the cella surrounded by enormous columns. Inside this so-called Temple of Bacchus, there's a memorial plaque which Sultan Abdul-Hamid II had made to commemorate the German emperor's visit – Wilhelm II was so impressed by the ruins that he contributed large amounts of money and manpower to their excavation.
To this day, German archaeologists are active on the various Baalbek archaeological sites. They also set up a very informative museum in the basement rooms of the Jupiter Temple, displaying more finds, old photographs and a lot of background information.
By the time we are back in the Palmyra hotel, the event that all those old men (and very few women) had been attending has ended. Most are still in the hotel lobby discussing important issues – it seems. So, what was it about? "Oh, how do you say that in English," a greying gentleman ponders. “You know, about our uprising!”
How to get to Baalbek on public transport from Beirut
From our hotel in Hamra (Beirut) we took a public bus (1000 LBP) to the Kola bus station. From there we went by minibus to Chtoura where we changed into another minibus to Baalbek. From Kola the journey took about two hours and cost 10,000 LBP per person (around 6 €).
Accommodation in Baalbek
If you have an early start you can easily visit the ruins of Baalbek as a day trip from Beirut even on public transport. We enjoyed our one-night stay at the famous Palmyra Hotel in Baalbek (no hot water and a somewhat unreliable heating and electricity system, though). This way we could visit other sights in the region the next day.
Note: We were not sponsored in any way or received money or other benefits for and during our trip to Lebanon. All expenses were fully paid by ourselves.
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