Baalbek houses the remnants of a temple located in Ras el-Ain, about 1.5km southeast of the famous temple complex.
Structure
The edifice is in a poor condition, having probably collapsed in late antiquity or been deliberately destroyed. Measuring around 15x8m, it was orientated to the east and was approached by a narrow staircase, surrounded by water.
The venerated god is still unknown.
At one point, the temple platform was later reused for a church probably during the Byzantine era and in the 13th century as the foundation for a small mosque.
Southeast of the temple, the remains of a nymphaeum can be seen, consisting of two semicircular exedra, one having a diameter of approx 3.8m and the other slightly smaller at 2.85m.
It may be considered as the only underwater temple known to-date in Lebanon.
Karim Sokhn
Tour Operator & Tour Guide
References:
Mnemosyne Supplements, history and archaeology of classical antiquity, volume 426
