Layout Bekaa

8/9/2019 Layout Bekaa

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R oman Tof the Bkaa V yfehQ He

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2km 10km 20km

Baalbeck

The Cedars

Zghorta

Rayak

Anjar

Jounieh

BEIRUT

Deir el-QamarBeiteddine

Tyre(Sour)

Qana

Ehden

Becharre

Bikfaya

Beit Mery

Broumana

Hamana

Bhamdoun

Baabda

SidonEshmounTemple

Marjayoun

Aiha

QaraounLake

Jezzine

Zahle

Jbeil

Ras Baalbeck

Balamand

TheQadishaValley

Shtaura

Meshref

DoraDhour Shoueir

Ras el-Shekka

MusailhaBatroun

AleySofar

Dahr el-Baidar

Tourza

Hadet Hasroun

Kousba

BeaufortCastle

Enfeh

Moukhtara

Khonchara

Tanail

Labweh

NahleIaat

YammouneDeir el Ahmar

Nabha

Qasr el-Banat

Nebi HamSarain

Kfar Zabad

Ain el-Bayda

Majdel AnjarDakwe

Qasr el-Wadi

HelwaYanta

Khirbet el-KnisseBakka

Deir elAachayer

Ain Harsha

Libbaya

Hebbariye

Kfarqouq

Aqbeh

Nebi Safa

HouashHfoufa

Qalaatel-Amoud

Mdoukha

Hadath

Roman Temples presentedin this brochureRoman Temple Sites in the Bkaa

Other Towns / SitesOther Towns / Sites

RoadsRoads

Roman Templespresented in thisbrochure

Qsarnaba

Niha

Fourzol

Temnine

Hosn Niha

Tripoli

R oman Temples of the Bkaa VadG S a fehQ He


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History of the Bkaa Valley jQdG a dG

History of the Bkaa Valley Greek and Roman travelers frequently crossed the BkaaValley and knew it very well. However, they believed that thevalley ran from east to west, instead of north to south, as it

really is situated. As a result, the Greeks and Romans believedthat both Lebanese mountain chains ran perpendicular to theMediterranean coastline. This belief continued until the days of the Arab geographer Al-Idrissi, during the 12th century.

The belief that the Bkaa Valley ran from east to west hadsignificant political repercussions. After his victory in 31 B.C.over Marc Anthony and Cleopatra, the Roman general Octavius,who became the Emperor Augustus and the founder of theRoman Empire, founded the colony of Beirut. He annexed tothis colony all the lands of the Bkaa Valley until the sourcesof the Orontes River. This action would not have been possibleif the Roman administration was not sure that the Bkaa Valleywas situated perpendicular to the coastline, thus forming theinland space of the new colony.

Baalbeck was the largest construction project Emperor Augustusand his successors ever attempted in the region. Baalbeckbecame an important cultic and pilgrimage site, in addition toan essential meeting point for all the caravans crossing theBkaa Valley from the interior to the south (Palestine) or to theMediterranean coast. Consequently, Baalbeck and the BkaaValley were transformed into a center for the dissemination of Roman civilization and the demonstration of Roman power tothe inhabitants of the region.

As a result, the villages and towns of the Bkaa began to buildRoman-style temples dedicated to their own local gods. Thisexplains the great number of temples spread throughout thevalley.

It would be impossible to describe all the Roman templesof the Bkaa Valley. This brochure will focus on five of themost significant sites: Fourzol, Niha, Hosn Niha, Temnine El-Faouqa, and Qsarnaba. Please consult the separate brochure,Archaeological Promenade Baalbeck , for extensive informationon the Baalbeck temples.

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Theouprosopone Tripoli

Mount Lebanon

Byblos

Beirut

Anti Lebanon Mountain

Dog River

Jordan River

Baalbeck

Damascus T h e

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d i t e r r a n e a n

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B u r d a R i v e r

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Fourzol RdG

Fourzol The town of Fourzol is situated 6km northeast of Zahl in theeastern foothills of the Mount Lebanon chain. Fourzol was afamous Episcopal see during the 5th century A.D., and todaythe Orthodox bishops of Zahl are called the Metropolitan of

Fourzol.

Roman Temple of Apollo In the center of Fourzol are the remains of a Roman temple builtaccording to the Corinthian style. This temple was apparentlydedicated to the god Apollo. It had a monumental stairwayleading to a portico with two antae (walls), followed by a cella,or central space, and then an adytum, or Holy of Holies, wherethe statue of the god was located. Due to the current bad stateof the ruins, it is very difficult to recognize the original shapeof the temple and the exact location of the altar that wouldtypically have been built in front of the temple.

Caves One and a half kilometers from Fourzol, in the area known asWadi el-Habis (the valley of the hermit) or Moghr el-Habis (thecaves of the Hermit), a high cliff surrounding the valley holdsa number of caves. These caves were inhabited by a number of hermits during the early-Christian and Byzantine periods. Thetradition of inhabited caves in the Lebanese mountains datesback to the fourth millennium B.C. and continued until themedieval period. All of these caves were also used at somepoint for cultic and funerary practices.

Several of the caves have small vats in the center, which wereused to collect water. On the left side of the cliff, you can seea niche holding a stele, or a large stone slab, symbolizing ashapeless idol carved according to the local traditions. On thelower level of the right side of the cliff, a platform was carvedin the rock, leading up four steps into a car ved room. Only oneof the caves is accessible to visitors; the rest must be viewedfrom below.

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10m 50m 100m

Private Houses

Private Houses

TowardsBeirut

1km towardsthe caves Portico

Fourzol - Roman Temple of Apollo

Cella

Adytum

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Carved Palm Tree About 20 minutes walk along the dirt road from the caves of Wadi el-Habis you will reach a carved rock face depicting a palmtree. To the left of the tree is an image of a young knight god,

with a halo around his head, holding the reins of his horse withhis right hand and a sphere or disc with his left hand. To theright of the palm tree is an image of a naked person (possibly agenie), holding a palm leaf in his right hand and a small sheepwith a sheaf of corn in his left hand. This image representsa solar god overlooking the regeneration and fertility of theuniverse, including its fauna and flora. These images wereprobably carved during the Roman era.

Several Roman-era quarries can also be seen in the surroundinglandscape. The quarries look like large rocks with flattenedfaces, and some are shaped like a large stair way, as a result of the stones being cut from them.

Fourzol RdG

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Niha f

Niha The small village of Niha is located 17km north of Chtaura, tothe left of the road that runs from the city of Zahl, through thetown of Ablah, to Baalbeck.

Niha is home to two of the most beautiful Roman temples inthe Bkaa Valley. The temples were built perpendicular to eachother, with their entrances facing a central place that could haveheld an important structure (which is now completely gone).The Niha temples were built according to the classical Romanarchitectural tradition, which is evident in the temples spreadthroughout Lebanon.

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Portico

Cella

10m 50m 100m

N i h a R i v e r

1 2

2

1

3

TowardsBeirut

TowardsHosnNiha

N i h a R i v e r

Niha Complex

Portico

Cella

Adytum

Adytum

1 The Small Temple The Small Temple was the first temple to be built on this siteduring the first century A.D. Situated on the left side of the NihaRiver, this temple was dedicated to the Syro-Phoenician god

Hadaranes and the goddess Atargatis. Hadaranes is the localname of Hadad, the god of thunder, lightning, and rain. Atargatisis the cosmic goddess of fertility.

It is believed that the rituals in this temple were related to water,because a small water channel runs through the podium of thetemple. Water used to seep out from the rocks surrounding thetemple, then ran directly into the channel and into the interior of the temple, for use in purification ceremonies.

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IYCG HQCG P eeCG GhQ dEG qOD j QO e q dCjh .dG Je ,HGq H K Y dG dEG ddGqjh .eYOh dG q fjEG J GSGH SGbCG Sb q c nO dEG OdGqj dG eh .gX eqH h .OdG J IYb JJ fcq c ndG ah .LQO q dD e QOdG jH J ,q cqdG SCG Y gMqJ IU Ib OLhG IQTEG.dG U q M OdG J IYqdGTC jdGedGGOdk q ehj eYdbGdG dG e J fc dG SqdG dG H q jh a Q o j CG k q e c ,H bCG dG dG dG CG M a .e q bdG dGc ,fdG OdG dG Z a q jQ o dG GOd.H a SNH e SzAGQYq f{cP Y JCJHc,dGGgaY o YdGq edGHd,zJZJCG{ gEGh zfGQM{ dEG gc fc ,(Hochmaea ) z o M{ SGY eG ,dEG eCG Y AHh{ . ddG Y

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The entrance of the temple faces south; it consists of astairway leading to a portico with four columns with Ionic-stylecapitals. The cella, or inner space of the temple, is accessedthrough three doors at the top of the stairway, and the adytumis accessed by a stairway of nine steps at the end of the cella.The statue of the god or goddess was located inside the adytumand was usually not accessible to the public. In addition to thewater channel running through and around the podium, there

is also a smaller water channel that runs from the base of thestatue of the god or goddess in the adytum down to the centerof the cella.

In the remains of this temple, archaeologists discovered a stonewith an inscription mentioning a virgin prophetess namedHochmea. Hochmea was the priestess of the god Hadaranesand the goddess Atargatis; she dedicated herself to those twogods and cut herself off from the world. The stone inscriptionsays: According to an order from the god, she stopped eatingbread for 20 years and lived for 100 years. This stone wasremoved by archaeologists and is no longer located at thetemple site.

The Small Temple of Niha was apparently used for the public

cult, which allowed everyone to par ticipate in purification ritualsusing the holy water running through temple. The nearby GreatTemple (2) was apparently used for a mysterious cult thatspread during the 2nd century A.D., similar to the cult practicedat the Bacchus Temple in Baalbeck.

Niha f

1

TowardsHosnNiha

N i h a R

Portico

Cella

Adytum


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Niha f

Portico

Cella

N i h a R

2

a R i v e r

Adytum

2 The Great Temple Built on the right side of the Niha River during the 2nd and 3rdcenturies A.D., the Great Temple was also dedicated to the godHadaranes and the goddess Atargatis. In addition to these twogods, the temple was apparently also dedicated to a young god

who played the role of their son. Like the small temple, theGreat Temple was used for rituals related to the water that usedto seep out of the surrounding rocks.

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The entrance of the temple faces the east; it is built over a largepodium and accessed through a three-part stairway leading toa por tico with four columns with Corinthian-style capitals. To the

left side of the stairway, a carved relief depicts a priest with twoicons on his chest, representing a god and a goddess. He iswearing a hat with a crescent carved on it, and he holds a floralwater sprinkler in his left hand and a cup in his right hand, whichpours holy water onto a small altar.

The lintel of the gigantic temple door has an eagle with spreadwings carved on it. This eagle is similar to the one carved onthe lintel of the Bacchus Temple in Baalbeck. However, theNiha carving is slightly different, because the eagle holds afloral crown in one of its talons and a palm leaf in the other. Tothe right side of the lintel, a carved relief represents a wingednaked boy holding a palm leaf in his left hand. Next to the boyis a carving of a winged goddess of victory holding a palm leaf in her left hand and a crown in her right hand, raising the crown

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Niha f

3 The Church of the Prophet Elias The Church of the ProphetElias, probably built in the19th century, is locateda few meters south of the oratory. Traditionally,whenever a church was

constructed on the site of a temple dedicated to thelocal goddess of thunder,lightning, and rain, thatchurch would be dedicatedto the Prophet Elias or toSaint George (both knownas el-Khodr in the Islamictradition).

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.QdG Y

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.kY hCG kc j q e W IQU dG QGh ,ddG V eCG,HkbTdGdGj a kTjdGc FY He OLh dP a dG dG dG Ld c eGSqJ bh ,dG dGSh q S a M dG q LdNQCG dG SG bh .FG YHe q SjkFGH kq o e OLh Y jdG Qe dEG j q q e SCH JdG fCG e clOY H jh ,q HQ q jLH q J dG g jdG dG q o dG Gg CG hjh .H f q L o h a dG JH dG dGq L o h H ,gJH .dG JH

towards the head of the boy. The left side of the lintel has acarved relief representing the same goddess of victory with thesame items in her hands. The carvings appear to be linked tothe mysterious rituals that were performed inside the temple.These rituals were related to the issues of birth, growth, death,and the hope of an afterlife.

The inside of the temple consists of two parts: the cella, wherethe people used to gather, and the elevated adytum, which wasaccessed by a stairway. The adytum used to hold the statueof the god or goddess. Under the elevated adytum is a crypt,which held the items used during the ceremonies and rituals of the temple. The doorway leading to the crypt is decorated witha carved relief representing a priest pouring holy water over analtar. Next to him, a woman holds an undefined object in herright hand. To the left, the relief represents a winged boy ridingover a sheep or a bull.

The Small Temple of Niha (1) is oriented north-south, while theGreat Temple (2) is oriented east-west. During the excavations of the site, an oratory was discovered in front of the Small Temple.The oratory had an altar representing the goddess of Niha,

surrounded by a number of steles sculpted in the local style(not Roman style). The reason for the perpendicular orientationof the two temples is the presence of this oratory, which wassituated in front of the Small Temple, and which was used as abase for the orientation of the Great Temple.

3

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Hosn Niha f M

Hosn Niha The Hosn Niha temples are reached by taking the road up thehill to the north of the Niha temple site. Two Roman templeswere constructed at Hosn Niha, and many architectural anddecorated stones are spread all over the site today. Architecturalevidence at the site indicates that it was transformed into asmall fort during the medieval period.

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.FN

Ady tum Ce ll a P or ti co

Cella

Portico

Hosn Niha Complex

1

2

1 2

3

10m 50m 100m


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Hosn Niha f M

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um Cella Portico

1 2

3 The Small Temple The Small Temple opens tothe south and was accessedthrough a stairway thatis almost completelydestroyed today. Thestairway leads to a porticowith two columns, and thento a small cella with a smallniche at its end, which usedto hold the statue of thegod or goddess.

1 & 2 The Great Temple and the Byzantine Basilica Built on a podium facing toward the east, the Great Temple (1) is

composed of a portico with four columns, leading to a cella, andthen to an elevated adytum. Today, the temple site is quite wellpreserved most of its walls are intact, but its columns are nolonger standing. The altar in f ront of the temple was destroyedby a Byzantine Basilica (2) that was built over it. The Basilicahas three naves and a semi-circular apse to its east end. Today,you can still see the lower por tions of the Basilica walls.

Cella

Portico

3

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Temnine El-F aouqa bdG JTemnine El-F aouqa The village of Temnine El-Faouqa is situated 4km from the townof Ablah. After crossing over the main road inside the village, asecondary road leads to a place called Ain el-Jeb (the source

of the well), which is the local name given to the small Romansanctuary located here. This vaulted sanctuary was built tohonor a goddess of flowing water. A stone with a carving of thisgoddess was found in the site during excavations.

The architecture of this sanctuary is similar to the classicalRoman style, with a portico with two columns built betweentwo antae. The cella has two niches built inside its south andnorth walls and a 4m deep water well in its center. This wellis usually filled with underground water running from the baseof the nearby mountain. The cella ends with a slightly elevatedplatform, which forms the adytum. At the end of the adytum, asmall, semicircular niche, built in the north wall, used to holdthe statue of the god or goddess.

Today, the sanctuary has been completely restored, and onlythe columns of the por tico were destroyed during the Lebanesewar.

Although the cult of the flowing water goddess was fairlywidespread in Lebanon, this sanctuary is unique because thereare very few temples in the region that were dedicated to thisgoddess.

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10m 50m 100m

Cella

Main road to Temnine El-Faouqa& Beirut

Temnine Temple

PorticoCella Adytum


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Qsarnaba fb

Qsarnaba The Roman temple situated at the height of the village of Qsarnaba has classical architecture similar to the other Romantemples in the Bkaa Valley.

Built over a high podium, the temple is accessed by amonumental stairway leading to a portico with four columns.The portico is followed by the cella, which ends with a stairwayleading to the adytum.

A colonnaded altar was built in front of the temple in the typicalRoman style; it was constructed with a square stone that issurrounded by four small columns on its four sides. This typeof altar was common in the Lebanese temples built during theRoman era.

Today, this temple is quite well preserved. The base of thealtar, the temple base and stairway, and the lower portions of the temple walls are still intact. Only the elevated adytum is nolonger standing.

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TowardsBeirut

Qsarnaba Temple

10m 50m 100m

Private Houses

Private Houses

Private Houses

Portico

Cella

Adytum

Altar


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Original text in Arabic by Dr. Hassan Salam-Sarkis. English Translation by Assaad Seif. Maps: Assaad Seif.

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www.DestinationLebanon.com


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Glossary

Adytum: A sacred inner space in a temple that thepublic was forbidden to enter.

Altar: Raised platform or structure where sacrificesare offered and religious rites are performed.

Antae: The plural of anta, a protruding wall onthe front side of a rectangular structure(usually a temple) that delimits an open airplatform in front of the main door.

Apse: A semi-circular area at east end of a church,often with a domed or vaulted roof.

Basilica: Large church with three naves.

Capital: The top part of a column.

Cella: The central space in a temple.Colonnade: A set of evenly spaced columns.

Corinthian One of the five classical orders of Style: architecture, characterized by a slender,

fluted column and bell-shaped capital withcarved ornaments based on acanthus leaves.

Crypt: An underground chamber, usually vaulted.

Genie: A mythological, nonmaterial creature thatworks as an attendant spirit.

Ionic Style: A Greek architectural style characterizedby capitals with spirals on the sides.

Lintel: A horizontal stone or beam, often locatedover door or window.

Metropolitan: In the Eastern Orthodox Church, ametropolitan is the head of an ecclesiasticprovince, ranking between an archbishopand a patriarch.

Nave: The central space in a church.

Niche: A recess in a wall, often containing a statue,bust, or vase.

Oratory: A small room or secluded place, set apartfor private prayer.

Podium: A raised platform that supports a colonnadeor wall.

Portico: Covered walkway in the form of a roof supported by columns or pillars.

Relief: Carvings of forms or figures projecting from

a flat surface.See: A district of a bishop.

Stele: A monolithic stone slab that serves aa monument and can sometimes havean inscription.

Vault: An arched structure forming a ceilingor a roof.

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