Full day tour of Baalbek, Aanjar & Winery
Beirut, Lebanon
Today you will cross the Mount Lebanon mountain range and drive through the Bekaa plain towards Baalbek, where the spectacular Roman ruins are located.
Baalbek is one of the most important archaeological areas in the Middle East; during the Roman era it was undoubtedly the main city in the area. Thanks to its excellent location in the north of the Bekaa Valley, an area rich in springs and traversed by two rivers, and at the crossroads of major trade routes , Baalbek was originally a flourishing Phoenician city dedicated to the cult of the god Baal. During the Hellenistic period, after it was conquered by Alexander the Great, it was known as Heliopolis. The Temple was built during the Roman period, using stones from nearby quarries.
The Great Temple of Jupiter was built around the end of the 1st century BC, but it was only completed in the final years of Nero's reign, around 65 AD. It covers an enormous area, with the remains of several different stages of development visible, and the iconic six remaining columns of the temple dominating the courtyard.
In the shadow of the Temple of Jupiter is the Temple of Bacchus. Such is the size of Jupiter that Bacchus is known as the Little Temple - but it's an enormous building in its own right, and is still in an almost perfect state of preservation - one of the most impressive sights in the whole region! Overall, the sheer scale and size of the ruins at Baalbek are what make them so impressive, as does the remarkable attention to detail still visible on many of the carvings and statues.
Following sightseeing of Baalbek you continue to the caves for wine tasting, with a stop at Aanjar to visit a historical Umayyad site, located in the southern end of the Bekaa plain. In the shadow of the Ant-Lebanon mountain range are the remains of a city built by the Umayyads, a dynasty which lasted not much more than one hundred years, yet conquered as far away as Spain.
Aanjar was built for the Caliph Al Walid 1 in around AD700. Unlike the other ancient cities in Lebanon, which have seen waves of inhabitants, Aanjar was a "new town" built from scratch. It prospered for less than a century, and then fell into disuse. The ruins were discovered only in the 1940s, with excavation beginning some ten years later.
The ancient city was laid out in a grid, surrounded by heavily fortified walls and bisected by two wide avenues. The design of the city borrowed heavily from the Byzantines with a pattern of alternating red bricks and yellow stone. The site is now entered from the north, through one of four towering gateways that once protected the city. To the left you will pass the hammams, and then move further down the main street, which would once have been flanked with shops. The remains of around 600 shops have been found, indicating the importance of Aanjar as a trade centre.
Beyond the crossroads are the remains of a mosque, beyond which you will see the reconstructed remains of the Grand Palace, which would have been a summer retreat for the caliphs. During your tour you will also see the residential and commercial quarters.
Following the sightseeing here you will return to Beirut.
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