the viewing deck: Baalbek Temple of Jupiter Ruins

Saturday, September 01, 2012

Baalbek Temple of Jupiter Ruins

3 days solo travel in lebanon

may 18-19, 2012 friday to sunday

byblos (jbeil) archaeological site

how to go here:

from beirut city, ride any van and ask driver to drop-off to baalbek van terminal. The terminal is on the left side of the a crossing below fly-over bridge. It is just beside the road and located between airport and downtown. Travel time is around 2 hours with no stop-over. Fare costs 6,000 lbp ($4.0). Drop-off area in baalbek is almost exactly to the temple ruins because the huge roman pillars are already seen on the road.

famous 6 pillars of temple of jupiter

baalbek roman pillar ruins

Baalbek is a town in the Beqaa Valley of Lebanon situated east of the Litani River. It is famous for its exquisitely detailed yet monumentally scaled temple ruins of the Roman period, when Baalbek, then known as Heliopolis, was one of the largest sanctuaries in the empire. It is Lebanon's greatest Roman treasure, and it can be counted among the wonders of the ancient world, containing some of the largest and best preserved Roman ruins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baalbek

My 1st up-close photo-ops for a european-inspired gigantic pillars. For me, its a marvel how did the early civilization made this wonder architecture. Another one of a kind traveler's accomplishment, the viewing deck seized the day.

propylaca area

propylaca pillars

broken pieces of roman pillars

huge numerous pillars inside the ruins of baalbek

"Baalbek, with its colossal structures, is one of the finest examples of Imperial Roman architecture at its apogee", UNESCO reported in making Baalbek a World Heritage Site in 1984. Entrance fee costs 15,000 lbp ($10.0) and opens from 0800H-1900H. Entrance gate is just walking distance to the van terminal at around 600 meters far. It is best also to visit this place at night for awesome photo-ops.