INTRODUCTION
Ba’albek is situated in the Northern Bekaa Valley, about 86 kilometers from Beirut, the capitol of Lebanon. It was actually classified as a ‘Forbidden Zone’ for tourist for a long time until the mid-1990s. I have no idea when was it release for tourist. In fact, Lebanon has now been trying hard to draw visitors to Ba’albek.
Ba’albek, also known as the ‘Sun City’ of the ancient world, is the most impressive ancient site to be found in the whole of Lebanon. It is also the most important ancient Roman site to be found in the Middle East. As told by the tour guide, Ba’albek once enjoyed a reputation as one of the wonders of the world and mystics still attribute special powers to the courtyard complex.
Ba’albek’s temples were built on an extravagant scale on the site of earlier temples, and it grew a culture around the city. Many people, far and wide were drawn to Ba’albek during religion festivals.
The town of Ba’albek is rather small with only slightly over 10,000 inhabitants.
TRANSPORTATION
I only know of a way to get to Ba’albek as I am rather new to the language down there and it is hard to ask for more information.
From Beirut, where I start my tour of Lebanon, it is possible to take a service taxi to Ba’albek. The whole journey took about an hour or more, and cost about LL8000, which come to about $5.
FOOD & ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation is cheap in Ba’albek, at least when you compared to the standard in Europe. At the lower end of the market, you can find rooms at only about $6 per person.
As for myself, we stayed in the best hotel in town, the Palmyra Hotel. The hotel is over 120 years old, and was just beside the ruins, which is very convenience for tourist. It cost me about $40 a night with a nice and comfortable room.
Cheap food can be found around the town. You can easily catch a meal for only about $1. You will never get such a price back home. If you are after some great food, you can only do so in the Palmyra hotel, where it will cost you only $10 for lunch or dinner. In fact, I have all my meals in the hotel.
SPECIAL NOTES
No revealing clothes should be worn while touring Ba’albek, and this applies not only to women, but also to men. Ba’albek is still rather conservative with Muslim laws, so it is polite for us to follow their rules while in Ba’albek.
Alcohol is not sold publicly, but you can get it at the high class Palmyra Hotel. Never consume alcohol openly on the street, it might invite some trouble.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS
The biggest attraction in the whole of Ba’albek is no doubt the extensive ruins lying just next to the Palmyra Hotel. It was also wide known as the Ba’albek Ruins. Inside the Ba’albek Ruins, you will be able to see extensively the great piece of architecture and appreciate the history behind every single piece of remaining stones.
Entering from the southeast end of the ruin complex, you will enter the ruins via the monumental staircase leasing up to the Propylaea, which has a portico flanked by two towers and a colonnade along the facade. Going on, your will see the impressive Hexagonal Court and then the Great Court. Going further into the complex, you will see the Temple of Jupiter-Baal on your right, and the Temple of Bacchus on your left. Both temples were very impressive.
I like the Temple of Bacchus the most. It was so well preserved and huge that I actually spend most of my time in the ruins complex to appreciate every corner of the buildings. I believe it must be one of the most magnificent and well-preserved Roman temples in the whole world.
The ruins site is open daily from 8:30am in the morning. Admission fees is LL10,000 (about $7) for adults. In my opinions, such a magnificent site definitely worth more than what we are paying it for. You must visit this site even if you think it is too expensive. I am sure you will regret for life if you miss this site in Ba’albek.
Going north away from the ruins site. You will see the Temple of Venus. I was told that although the temple was named after Venus, but it was not meant for Venus. It was a tiny temple, but surely worth a few minutes of your time to see it.
Going further down, you will be able to see another ruin, the ruin of the Great Mosque, which was built from the stones of the temples using many different styles of columns and capitals.
Coming to the last attraction in Ba’albek is the Ras el-Ain springm and the ruin of the Temple of Mercury. Basically, Ba’albek is about ruins and history; you will love this town if you are lover of such.
SUMMARY
If you like ancient monuments and ruins, Ba’albek will not disappoint you. Although Ba’albek does not provide the best of comfort to tourist, but it was well compensated by the treasure of history waiting to be seen and explore. This is a ‘Must Visit’ spot in Lebanon.
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