BAALBEK or BAALBEC (ba'al-bek).
(1) Baalbek, in the Syrian language, signifies the city of Baal, or of the sun; and, as the Syrians never borrowed names from the Greeks, or trans lated Greek names, it is certain that when the Greeks came into Syria they found the place bear ing this name or some other signifying 'city of the sun,' since they termed it Heliopolis, which is doubtless a translation of the native designation.
If this should not seem satisfactory, we may conclude that Btra/ was so common an element in the composition of proper names, that it is not sufficiently distinctive to bear the stress of such an interpretation; and may rather take it to signify (as Gesenius says it always does in geographical combinations) the place where a thing is found. According to this view Baal-gad would mean the place of Gad. Now Gad was an idol (Is. lxv:ii), supposed to have been the god or goddess of good fortune (Vulg. Fortuna), and identified by the Jewish commentators with the planet /Viler (see GAD).
Its origin appears to be lost in the most remote antiquity, and the historical notices of it are very scanty.
(2) Situation. Baalbek is pleasantly situated on the lowest declivity of Anti-Libanus, at the opening of a small valley into the plain El-Bekaa. Through this valley runs a small stream, divided into numberless rills for irrigation. The place is in N. lat. 34 deg. i min. 30 sec., and E. long. 36 deg.
min. distant 109 geog. miles from Palmyra, and from Tripoli. In the absence of more posi tive information we can only conjecture that its situation on the high-road of commerce between Tyre, Palmyra, and the farther East, must have contributed largely to the wealth and magnificence which it manifestly attained.
(3) Heliopolis. It is mentioned under the name of Heliopolis by Josephus xiv:3, 4), and also by Pliny (Kist. Nat. v:22). Two Roman inscriptions of the time of Antoninus Pius give sanction to the statement of John of Antioch, who alleges that this emperor built a great temple to Jupiter at Heliopolis, which was one of the won ders of the world (Kist. Chron. lib. xi). From the reverses of Roman coins we learn that Heliopolis was constituted a colony by Julius Cxsar; that it was the seat of a Roman garrison in the time of Augustus; and obtained the _lies Italicum from Severus. Some of the coins of later date contain curious representations of the temple.
After the age of Constantine the splendid tem of B ts and d daeaclabye Baalbekunless r were probably indeed, r oba b ys some consigned t o n eg indicate, they were then consecrated to Christian worship. From the accounts of Oriental writers Baalbek seems to have continued a place of importance down to the time of the Moslem inva sion of Syria. They describe it as one of the most splendid of Syrian cities, enriched with stately palaces, adorned with monuments of ancient times, and abounding with trees, fountains, and whatever contributes to luxurious enjoyment. On the advance of the Moslems, it was reported to the emperor Heraclius as protected by a citadel of great strength, and well able to sustain a siege.
(4) Investments. After the capture of Damas- A cus it was regularly invested by the Moslems, and —containing an overflowing population, amply supplied with provisions and military stores—it made a courageous defence, but at length capitu lated. Its importance at that period is attested by
the ransom exacted by the conquerors, consisting of 2,000 ounces of gold, 4,000 ounces of silver, 2,000 silk vests, and i,000 swords, together with the arms of the garrison. In the year 1400 it was pillaged by Timour Beg, in his progress to Damascus, after he had taken Aleppo. Afterwards it fell into the hands of the Metaweli—a barbarous predatory tribe, who were nearly exterminated when Djezzar Pasha permanently subjected the whole district to Turkish supremacy.
(5) Ruins. The ruins of Heliopolis lie on an eastern branch of the mountain, and are called, by • way of eminence, the Castle. The most prominent objects visible from the plain are a lofty portico of six columns, part of the great temple, and the walls and columns of another smaller temple a little below, surrounded by green trees. There is also a singular and unique circular temple, if it may be so called, of which we give a figure. These, with a curious column on the highest point within the walls twhieh may possibly have been a clepsydra, or watt.r-diah, form the only erect por tions of the ruins. These ruins have been so often and so minutely described by scores of travelers, as well as in many works of general reference, that, since their identification as a Scriptural site is uncertain, a few additional observations only may suffice. The ruins at Baalbek in the mass are apparently of three successive eras: first, the gigantic hewn stones, in the face of the plat form or basement on which the temple stands, and which appear to be remains of older buildings, perhaps of the inure ancient temple which occu pied the site. Among these are at least twenty standing upon a basement of rough stones, which would be called enormous anywhere hut here. These celebrated blocks, which in fact form the great wand 'r of the place, vary from 3o to 4o feet in length; hut there are three, forming an upper course 20 feet from the ground, which together measure too feet, being severally of the enormous dimensions of 63 and 64 feet in length, by 12 in breadth and thickness (Addison's Damascus and Palmyra, 'They are,' says Richter (Wall lahrten, f.. 281), 'the largest stones I have ever seen, and might of themselves have easily given rise to the popular opinion that Baalbek was built by angels at the command of Soh unon. The whole wall, indeed, is composed of immense stones, and its resemblance to the remains of the Temple of Solomon, which are still shown in the foundations of the mosque •s-Sakkara on Nlount Modal), c•tunot fail to be observed.' This was also pointed out by I )r. hardson. In the neighbor ing quarries, (rum whir i they were cut, stone, hewn out but not carried .way, is of much larger dimensions than any of those which have been mentioned. To the second and third eras belong the Roman temples, %%hit h. being of and about the tune of Antoninus present some of the finest specimens of Corinthian architecture in existence, and possess a wonderful grandeur and majesty from their lofty and imposing situation tAdthson n:57).
l'he pre.,tot Baalbek is a sinall village to the cast of the ruins, in a sad state of retchedtte•s and dce.tr. It i. little more than a heap of rub bish, thz houses being built of mud and sun-dried bricks. (See IIAAL-GA1); ON.)