Why did the Baalbek temple complex fall into ruin?

Earthquakes, Fires, and Floods

The city of Baalbek is situated in a geologically active region which has been subject to earthquakes.

Located in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, on the Litani River, which flows south, then west, into the Mediterranean Sea, the valley lies between Mount Lebanon, on the Mediterranean side, and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, which mountain range forms the border between Lebanon and Syria.

The valley marks the beginning of the Dead Sea Transform (or Rift), which is the northernmost rift in a system of geological rifts and faults extending from Lebanon to Mozambique. Source: Wikipedia – “Beqaa Valley”.

The earthquake-sensitive design of the back wall of the Temple of Jupiter, containing the Trilithon, has been discussed by Jiri Mruzek as having properties which may absorb the seismic waves of an earthquake, thereby lessening potential for structural damage:

Sizes of these blocks vary from big to unbelievably big, the largest building blocks anywhere. The bottom three layers are composed from small blocks. In this earthquake-prone region, this is probably a measure to safeguard the big blocks. During strong earthquakes, the mass of smaller blocks moves like jelly, relatively speaking, and absorbs most of the quake’s destructive force.

Earthquakes of significance include two during the 6th Century (526, 551), which severely damaged the Temples of Jupiter and Venus; those of 1158, 1203, 1664; and the particularly destructive Near East earthquake of 1759.

Fires were noted to have followed earthquakes.

In addition, the discovery of remains of a canal near the Temple of Venus has been noted by archeologists to reveal concern with flooding.

Looting and conversion to other uses

Although the Romans developed the Temple of Jupiter and the Temple of Bacchus for 200 years, during the first through third centuries A.D., the temples were apparently never finished because during their construction, the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. They then became pagan symbols. A century later, a Roman basilica (a hall for civil proceedings) was placed on the site.

Apparently, in 532-537 A.D., eight Corinthian columns of the Temple of Jupiter were disassembled and shipped to Constantinople under Justinian’s orders, for his basilica of Hagia Sophia.

The temple complex was also exposed to warfare, and was at times used as a fortress. Along with the city of Baalbek, it was subject to dismantling and looting (sacking). Wikipedia, “Baalbek,” provides a summary of some of the city’s history:

In 637 AD, the Muslim army under Abu Ubaida ibn al-Jarrah captured Baalbeck after defeating the Byzantine army at Battle of Yarmouk.

It was still an opulent city and yielded rich plunder. It became a bone of contention between the various Syrian dynasties and the caliphs first of Damascus, then of Egypt.

The place was fortified and took on the name al-Qala‘ (“fortress”; see Alcala) but in 748 was sacked again with great slaughter.

The Byzantine Emperor John Tzimisces sacked the city in 975. In 1090 it passed to the Seljuks and in 1134 to Zengi; but after 1145 it remained attached to Damascus and was captured by Saladin in 1175.

The Crusaders raided its valley more than once but never took the city.

Three times shaken by earthquakes in the 12th century, it was dismantled by 1260 when it served as the Mongol base for the last unsuccessful attack upon the Mamlukes of Egypt.

But it revived, and most of its fine mosque and fortress architecture, still extant, belonged to the reign of Sultan Qalawun (1282), during which Abulfeda describes it as a very strong place.

In 1400 Timur pillaged it.

In 1517, it passed, with the rest of Syria, to the Ottoman Empire.

Source: Wikipedia, “Baalbek.

Landfill

In addition to devastation by looting and conversion to other uses, including use as a fortress and building of other structures, the temple complex has been subject to landfill. This is especially puzzling, as, according to the International Dictionary of Historic Places, enormous underground tunnels had been constructed to facilitate the work of the Romans on the temple complex. Removal of landfill is described below:

Over the centuries, the temples suffered the devastation of earthquakes, but also destruction and medieval building (the Ottoman fortified the temple and built a mosque). The temples of Baalbek, transformed into a fortress, lay under meters of fill. However, although in ruins, the site has continued to attract visitors and generate admiration.

Thanks to the work undertaken over the last hundred years by archaeologists and architects, German, French and Lebanese, the site now gives an idea of its past splendor. When prospecting and restoration began, a plaque signed by Wilhelm II [German Emperor in 1898] and the Ottomans was fixed at ground level of the temple of Bacchus. After clearing, it is now at almost 10 meters high!

Source: French article from A New Paradigm.

Next Page: What lies in the Tell underneath the Baalbek temple complex?