Bacchus Temple

The ancient Phoenician city of Baalbek attracts tourists with the majestic ruins of a unique temple complex that has no analogues in the whole east. The complex was originally dedicated to the Phoenician god Baal. Later, his cult merged with the veneration of the Greek Helios, giving the city the name Heliopolis, and under the Romans temples dedicated to Jupiter, Bacchus and Venus were erected here.

The temple of Bacchus, dedicated to the Roman god of winemaking, also called the "temple of the sun," is located to the left of the temple dedicated to Jupiter. Although much smaller than the main temple of the complex, it is larger than the famous Greek Parthenon.

This is the best preserved temple of Baalbek, built by order of the Roman Emperor Alexander Pius in 150 BC. In terms of the temple is a rectangle sixty-six long and thirty-five meters wide. Forty-two columns of the Corinthian Order were erected along the walls, nineteen of which stand to this day. Inside the temple was decorated with semi-columns, forming two rows of niches in which bas-reliefs with scenes from the life of Bacchus were located.