Baalbek and Anjar are two ancient cities in Lebanon that are located along the Syrian border. Both are World Heritage sites and are known for their architecture. Baalbek is a fine example of Imperial Roman architecture, while Anjar is a testament to the Umayyad civilization.
Visited Baalbek in December 2018, weather was perfect, some of the best roman ruins I have seen. You can read about the history at UNESCO world heritage site at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/294
Safety: There are travel warning for tourists going to Baalbek and Anjar due to its close proximity to Syria and Hezbollah presence. I didn't have any issues. I even hitchhiked from Anjar to the main road 15 minute ride to catch a bus, this nice Armenian gentleman gave me a ride. Anjar is located in an Armenian resettlement town and Baalbek is Hezbollah with souvenir vendors selling Hezbollah T shirts. Anjar is 5 KM from Syria, there are mountains between the 2 countries.
Suggestion: Visit Anjar before visiting Baalbek reason being Baalbek is pretty amazing and Anjar will be a let down if you visit Anjar afterwards.
How to get to Baalbek from Beirut, take a taxi to cola bus station. From there take a minibus to Baalbek, the minibus cost is 6000 Lebanese Pounds or about $4 USD. The distance is about 85 kilometers from Beirut or half way between Beirut and Damascus Syria.
The name Baalbek is a Syrian word that means "the city of Baal" or "the city of the sun", did a day trip, day is plenty to see Baalbek and visited the town, got lunch ect. There is a lot of army presence in town.
Baalbek is home to the Baalbek temple complex, which includes two of the largest and grandest Roman temple ruins: The Temple of Bacchus and The Temple of Jupiter
Entrance to the Temple of Jupiter, There were hardly any tourists there because of all the travel warning to that area.
Temple of Bacchus is a famous temple in Lebanon. It is part of the Baalbek temple complex, which is located in the Bekaa Valley. The temple complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered an outstanding example of Imperial Roman architecture.
The Temple of Bacchus is often described as the most beautifully decorated temple in the Roman world. It is also one of the best preserved.
The Temple is dedicated to God of Wine. Some of the most fertile land on the planet is here as per the info I got from the Baalbek museum.
Inside Temple of Bacchus.
Anjar
Anjar is the only Umayyad site in Lebanon and is home to a complex of Umayyad ruins, The Umayyads were an Arab clan, While Baalbek is Greek-Roman, Anjar is all ruins and nothing like Baaalbek, looked very Roman with all the arches.
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Questions or Comments?
Absolutely beautiful. I am sold, next stop... Baalbek, Lebanon!
ReplyDeletePhotos of Baalbek are amazing. It is difficult to imagine how it is big looking only on the picture. Did you feel safe there? Did they speak English?
ReplyDelete