All Archaelogical Sites

Baalbak district

Baalbak

Old Spring Ras al Ain

This ancient spring, now incorporated into modern Baalbak, has been a source of water since antiquity. Here are traces of a roman shrine and nymphaeum as well as remains of a Mameluke mosque built in 1277.

Jupiter Temple - Baalbak

The first view the visitor has of Baalbak is the six corinthina ciolumns of the Great Temple, thrusting 22 meters into the skyline. Built on a podium seven meters above the court, these six columns and the entablature on top give an idea of the vast scale of the original structure. The complex of the Great Temple has a semicircular peribol, the monumental entrance or Propylaea, the Hexagonal Court, the Great Court and finally the Temple itself, where the six famous columns stand. This consecutive way of approaching the sanctuary is the result of a thorough organization of the Semitic architectural style. The temple is of 88 meters long and 48 meters wide. It includes a monumental stairway that leads to a podium, 7 meters above the courtyard and 13 meters above the ground. The Temple of Jupiter was destroyed, and out of its 54 columns which were 22 meters high, only six are standing. The foundations of the temple are made of large stone blocks the most famous of which are three ("Trilithon") on the west side, weighing around 800 tons each.

Bacchus Temple - Baalbak

Constructed during the first half of the 2nd century A.D., the Bacchus Temple has been remarkably well preserved. While the Great Temple was dedicated to the public cult of the Heliopolitan Triad, the little temple was apparently consecrated to a mysterious cult centered around the young god of Baalbak who was considered a solar god and a growth deity where birth and growth represent re-birth and immortality. Wine and other drugs, such as opium, may have been used by the worshippers and it was the carvings of grapes and poppies on the main doorjamb and some carved Bacchic scenes, which suggested the temple's identifications with Bacchus. Thirty-three steps lead up to the entrance and the whole structure sits on a platform five meters high. The entrance through the lofty monumental gate and the view of its ornate interior constitute one of the loveliest sights of Baalbeck. The stairs on either side of the doorway may have had some ritual function.

Venus Temple - Baalbak

The gem-like temple southeast of the acropolis was built in the 3rd century A.D. Its design and size, as well as its orientation, set it apart for the other Baalbak temples. These attributes also help identify it as the temple of the Fortune of Baalbak, that is the tutelary divinity of the city., under the protection of its great gods. It was not by accident that during the byzantine period it was converted into a church dedicated to Saint Barbara, who is the patron saint of the city to this day.

Boustan al Khan

&nbsp;Bustan Al-Khan (the Khan's Garden) is located in Baalbak, northeast of Beirut. Among the monumental buildings at the site, which is just south of the Temple of Jupiter, is a portico with 12 columns, which may have been the south gate to the sanctuary. Judging from the way the capitals are shaped, it was constructed in the 2nd century. The two main buildings are a hall on a terrace in the southern area and a Roman bathhouse, inspired by the baths of Emperor Trajan in Rome.

Mercury Temple

Mercury Temple was built in the 1st century B.C. above the remains of an ancient temple, dedicated to the deity who protected crops and herds. It can be reached by way of a stairway sculpted in rocks.

Hasbaya district

Hibarieh

Ruins of the Roman Temple - Hibarieh

The Wadi Al Tym is a long fertile valley, in the south, laden with olive and fruit trees the local population has been cultivating throughout history. The Romans, as the Canaanites Phoenicians, believed this area to be a holy site and built many temples along its terrain. On the road to Hasbaya, the capital of this fertile southern valley, the Al-Hebbariyeh Roman Temple sits, catching the rays of the sunrise over Mount Hermon. It is one of the few ancients sites left and its design has been recognized as an Antae Temple as the Greeks and Romans defined, referring to its eastern portal that faces the mountain, Ionic style pillar, and frieze (wall decoration).

Saida district

Saida

Murex Hill

Located in the south, Murex Hill is an artificial hill about 100 m high and 50 m long, partially covered by a cemetery. This is Saida’s ancient garbage dump, largely formed from the crushed remains of hundreds of thousands of murex shells, the by-product of the city's famed dye. It took 10,000 murex mollusks to make just one gram of purple dye which in Roman times was worth three times as much as gold when used on silk. Traces of the shells can be seen on the embankment heading south from the Castle of Saint Louis.

Tyre district

Sour / Tyre

Roman and Byzantine Cemeteries - Al Bass

Excavated in 1962, has yielded hundreds of ornate stone and marble sarcophagi and burial complexes from the Roman and Byzantine periods.

The Columbarium - Al Bass

Triumphal Arch - Al Bass

Built during the 2nd century A.D., and collapsed due to an earthquake during the 6th century A.D., the Triumphal Arch was constructed with decorated lime plaster which is still showing on some of its stones. The 20-meter-high central section has been reconstructed; it was preserved to its middle height when it was first discovered. Two lateral gates, once flanked by two towers, give access to the pedestrian road.

Aqueduct - Al Bass

The Aqueduct runs along the left side of the Roman Road. It carried water from the springs of Ras el-Ain, 6 km south of Tyre. It continued further to the east to irrigate the city. The foundations of the Aqueduct are preserved to a length of almost 200 meters. Most of the stones of the upper Aqueduct structure were robbed in later periods.

Roman Hippodrome - Al Bass

Dating back to the 2nd century A.D., the Hippodrome of Tyre is one of the best reserved in the world. Built in a U shape, it measures 480 meters by 160 meters and used to accommodate around thirty thousand spectators. In the center of the arena stretches the spina that divides the area into two runs. It is said that chariot races used to last several days and were held every 30 minutes.

Mosaic Road - Al Jazeerah

Measuring eleven meters in width and extending over 170 meters in length, this thoroughfare was delimited by a colonnade and a five-meter-wide pathway. The columns standing on both sides of the road are of cipolino marble with Corinthian capitals. During the 4thcentury A.D., this thoroughfare was paved with mosaics, covered by marble slabs in later period.

Arena - Al Jazeerah

Built in the first century A.D., this major monument is the only rectangular arena in the world. It was used for practicing sports like wrestling and boxing and was still in use during the byzantine period. Around it, rectangular vaulted cisterns were laid out in two rows, but their relationship with the arena is still not clearly established.

Residential District - Al Jazeerah

This area consists of houses paved with marble and mosaic floors from the Roman period. Its roads were narrowed during the byzantine period, and it was still in use during the Medieval period.

Public Baths - Al Jazeerah

The structure of the thermea is divided into two symmetrical parts. The lower part consists of arched vaults giving considerable strength to the whole structure. The upper part consists of large hypocaust bricks covered with marble pavement. The hot air used to circulate between these superimposed baked clay disks, diffusing the heat into the different parts of the bath.

Palestra - Al Jazeerah

Built during the Roman period, this marketplace was destroyed in the byzantine period. It consists of 30-meter-wide square area enclosed inside a granite colonnade. During the byzantine period, this monument was covered with deep reservoirs, which may have been used in the purple dye industry.

Crusader Cathedral - Al Jazeerah

This structure consists of the remains of a 12th century cathedral, dedicated to St. Marcus, and built with reused granite columns. It was the site of the coronation of the Kings of Jerusalem during the 13th century. It is said that the body of Frederick Barbarossa, the German Emperor, is buried there, but his body was never found during the excavations.

Tyre’s Main Archeological Sites

The Al-Bass site in Tyre holds a variety of Roman ruins dating back to the 2nd century AD. Just past the entrance is a vast funerary complex, with hundreds of ornate stone and marble sarcophagi. The Al-Bass site is also home to a Byzantine road, a 2nd century triumphal arch, a Roman road with an aqueduct, and the remains of one of the largest Roman hippodromes in the world. It once seated 20,000 spectators eager to watch risky chariot races. Al-Bass site is not far from a similar site, Al-Mina, 2km away. It features a mosaic road bordered by a colonnade, the only rectangular arena in the world, which once accommodated 2,000 spectators. It also holds the remnants of a residential area with narrow roads and houses paved with mosaics and marble, a Roman bath, a glass factory, and Roman roads. A palestra, where athletes once trained, was later converted to the purple dye factory for which Tyre became world-famous. The remains of a 12th century Crusader cathedral, which was the setting of the coronation of the King of Jerusalem, is also one of the main attractions drawing many visitors year round.

Beirut district

Downtown

Garden of Forgiveness

Formally called Cardo Maximus, Hadiqat As-Samah, the Garden of Forgiveness, is an ancient ruin on which 15 civilizations have lived successively. The site, which is in downtown Beirut near Martyr’s Square, helps mark the green line where some of the most intense fighting during the civil war occurred. This line divided Beirut into east and west for more than a decade. The Garden is designed to be a place of contemplation and reflection for visitors, and is best viewed from the raised walk opposite the St. George Cathedral.

Al Bass Archaeological Site

This sprawling archaeological site in Tyre/Sour, in the south of Lebanon, holds a variety of Roman ruins dating back to the 2nd century AD. It is not far from a similar site, <a href="https://www.bamleb.com/guide/archaelogical-sites/al-mina-archaeological-site-tyre">Al Mina</a>, 2km away. Just past the entrance is a vast funerary complex, with hundreds of ornate stone and marble sarcophagi. The Al Bass site is also home to a Byzantine road, a 2nd century triumphal arch, a Roman road with an aqueduct, and the remains of one of the largest Roman hippodromes in the world. It once seated 20,000 spectators eager to watch risky chariot races.

Al Mina Archaeological site - Tyre

Located in the old section of the city of Tyre (Sour) in the south of Lebanon, an archaeological site remains with structures from the Roman and Byzantine periods. It features a mosaic road bordered by a colonnade, the only rectangular arena in the world, which once accommodated 2,000 spectators. &nbsp;It also holds the remnants of a residential area with narrow roads and houses paved with mosaics and marble, a Roman bath, a glass factory, and Roman roads. A palestra, where athletes once trained, was later converted to the purple dye factory for which Tyre became world-famous. The remains of a 12th century Crusader cathedral, which was the setting of the coronation of the King of Jerusalem, is also one of the main attractions drawing many visitors year round.

West Bekaa district

Hammara Manara

Hammara Temple

Located in the Village of Hammara Manara, in the Beqaa, in the east, the temple of Hammara / Al Manara is known by the name Qasr El Wali or Ain Qniyeh. This Roman temple is a square shaped building which contains an altar with sixteen columns. The site is enclosed by a huge wall and may have been turned into a basilica at some point.

Jbeil district

Yanouh

Yanouh Archaeological Site

Located northeast of Beirut at an altitude of 110 m between two mountain villages and Qartaba Aqoura is Yanouh, which in Aramaic means an oasis of peace and tranquility. This ancient archaeological village has been through many civilizations such as the Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Maronite periods. Today, temples in this area that were turned into two churches are called Saint George Blue and Our Lady of Yanouh.&nbsp; The Church of Saint George Blue dates from the Byzantine era and named so due to its bluish color stones. It contains a cross of two horns and four arms, the oldest and most widespread in northern Syria formed during the early Christian era. This cross was in reference to the doctrine of the dual nature of Christ, divine and human, or two virtues, the word or the Holy Spirit, or the two powers, the archangel Michael and Gabriel, who accompany the souls of the dead. In the Our Lady of Yanouh Church, the Maronite patriarchs, between the 10th and 13th centuries, before and under the Crusaders, took the temples, in the Yanouh area, and used the stones to build a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This church has porticoes, which are porches with a roof supported by columns leading to the entrance of a building, and it is decorated with crosses and engravings.

Jbeil / Byblos

Medieval City Walls - Byblos

The old medieval part of Byblos (Jbeil), up north, is surrounded by a huge stonewall the Crusaders built at the beginning of the 12th century, which they braced with towers. The wall runs about 270 meters from east to west and 200 meters from North to South.

Afqa

Adonis Temple

The Temple of Adonis dates from the 3rd century AD.&nbsp; Its facade has six Corinthian columns and the sanctuary is partially built into the rocks. It was destroyed during the civil war (1975-1990) and some of its stones were stolen. The ruins are not far from the modern ski resort of Mzaar Kfardebian, about an hour from Beirut.

Zahleh district

Anjar

Umayyad City Ruins - Anjar Archaeological Site

The city of Anjar stands as the single Umayyad site in Lebanon, located near the Litani River and 58 km from the capital of Beirut. Anjar was founded during the Umayyad period under Caliph Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malak (r. 705-715 CE) and takes its name from the Arabic term 'ayn al-jaar, meaning water from the rock - a reference to the streams that flow from adjacent Lebanon and the anti-Lebanon mountain range. The ruins reveal a very regular layout, reminiscent of the palace-cities of ancient times, and are a unique testimony to city planning under the Umayyads.

Bqosta

Eshmun Temple

Eshmun Temple is located 2 kilometers northeast of Saida, in the south. This temple is an ancient place of worship dedicated to Eshmun, the Phoenician god of healing and one of the most important divinities of the Phoenician pantheon as well as the main male divinity of Saida. The legend of Eshmun describes a young man from Beirut, called Eshmun who was hunting in the woods when Astarte saw him and was stricken by his beauty. She harassed him with her amorous pursuit until he emasculated himself with an axe and died. The grieving goddess revived Eshmun and transported him to the heavens where she made him into a Uranic god. The continued expansion of the temple complex spanned many centuries and the sanctuary features a wealth of architectural and decorative styles.

Koura district

Rechdebine

Qasr Naous Roman Temples

The ancient Roman Naous temples are perched on a hilltop at 600 meters above sea level, and even in their partly ruined state, the majesty of their presence in this particular setting can hardly have been diminished since their prime. The views from around the site, overlooking Kousba, in the Koura District, in the north, from just outside the village of Ain Akrin, are still breathtaking. The first temple, to the east, has survived fairly well, and like the sanctuary at Machnaqa, northeast of Beirut, it is surrounded by an enclosure with a decorated entrance gate. In front of the temple, the remains of an altar are visible, while a substantial part of the temple itself is still standing. Visitors will recognize the remains of a staircase much like the ones in the large temple at Niha, in the Beqaa and the temple of Bacchus in Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon. The second temple is also surrounded by an enclosure with a gate, though it is less well preserved, and it seems likely that it has suffered both earthquake damage and the appropriation of its stones by subsequent builders in the region. A relief featuring the face of the sun god now lies in the grass in front of the ruin.

Roman Cardo Maximus

Fragments of this cardo, or main north–south oriented street, in Roman times, were revealed in the churches' neighborhood near the Place de l’Etoile Square, in downtown Beirut, within Beirut Central District. The 40 Martyrs' Columns that are located there could have been part of a tetrakionion, a monument that provides a junction between the Cardo Maximus, and the Decumanus Maximus, the east-west oriented road, at the very spot where the latter changes direction.

Matn district

Mtein

Old Silk Factory - Mtein

In 1841, the Portalis family established the first silk farm in Lebanon in Chouf. For the first time, women would leave their homes to work as spinners. The transport of cocoons or silk from the port of Beirut to Marseille aboard ships was the origin of the creation of maritime transport agencies in Lebanon, and lending operations to industry players led to the opening of the first bank in Lebanon. In this period, silk production represented 50% of the GDP of the Moutasarrifiyya of Mount Lebanon. Around the same time, silk work began in Mtein. The Abillama family were the first to work with silk and produce silk thread in the 1850s. The Abillama silk farm southwest of Mtein, in the region of "Hakl bou ajjour" overlooking the Mtein-Mchikha road, is still standing to this day. By 1850, the Kabalan Abillama family was producing silk thread. They rented this silk farm to Makhoul Akl, son of Akl Chedid, a few decades later. At the beginning of the last century, the grandparents of Gerges Nakouzi, who made their fortune in Latin America, bought the silk farm. In the late 1960s, it became the property of Chaker Abousleiman.