Temple of Baalat Gebal
Lebanon · Asia
About
The Temple of Baalat Gebal (Arabic: معبد بعلة جبيل, romanized: Maʿbad Baʿlat Jbeil) was an important Bronze Age temple in the World Heritage Site of Byblos. The temple was dedicated to Ba'alat Gebal, the goddess of the city of Byblos. Built around 2800 BC, it was the largest and most important sanctuary in ancient Byblos, and is considered to be "one of the first monumental structures of the Syro-Palestinian region". Two centuries after the construction of the Temple of Baalat Gebal, the Temple of the Obelisks was built approximately 100m to the east.
The length and continuity of its history as an active temple is "remarkable" and "supports its centrality in the life of the city".
An important group of Byblos figurines were found in the temple; these figurines have become the "poster child" of the Lebanese Tourism Ministry.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.