Ba'labakk

Baalbek lies in the Bekaa Valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges. Known to the Greeks and Romans as Heliopolis, it was the site of a great sanctuary whose temples of Jupiter and Bacchus rose above colossal stone foundations. In the Islamic period the temple complex was fortified and became the citadel of the town. Its columns and walls remained among the most impressive monuments on the roads through the valley.

Mamluk rulers rebuilt the fortress after earlier destruction, and Ottoman Baalbek later came under the influence of the Harfush family, whose leaders controlled the district and parts of the Bekaa. Local conflicts troubled the region, while travellers came to record the immense ancient ruins. In 1759 earthquakes shook the valley and brought down three of the nine columns then standing at the Temple of Jupiter. The six that remained preserved a striking silhouette above the town.