Temple of Baal in Palmyra. Temples of Palmyra

10.07.2023

Ruins of the Temple of Bel in Palmyra.

Temple of Bel in Palmyra- a temple dedicated to the local supreme god Bel, part of the complex of ruins of the ancient Syrian city of Tadmor. It was the main shrine of the city. Today it has been partially restored. The temple is a peculiar hybrid of oriental and ancient architecture: the layout is made in the style of temples of the Middle East, and the facades are modeled on Greek and Roman temples. Built in 32 AD (one of the most ancient buildings in the city).

Exterior

The main temple of the sanctuary of Bel.

The Temple of Bel is located in the center of the vast open courtyard of the sanctuary. The sanctuary was located on a high terrace with an area of 64,050 m², surrounded by walls made of stone blocks. The walls were decorated with small columns. The courtyard was surrounded on all sides by covered porticoes supported by two rows of columns. On the western side there was the main gate, decorated with sculptures and propylaea.

Main temple of the sanctuary of Bel

Situated on a stepped base, the central rectangular room was surrounded on all sides by a colonnade, with two rows at the ends of the building. The central entrance to the temple was not from the end, as was customary in ancient temples, but from the longitudinal side. The entrance is marked by powerful pylons covered with stone reliefs.

Interior

Inner hall of the Temple of Bel.

The interior of the main temple is a large hall, not divided by any colonnades or walls. Light enters it through rectangular windows located almost under the roof. In the center of the end walls, huge niches have been preserved, which once housed statues of gods. Previously, the temple was covered with a flat roof, but by now nothing remains of it, only the remains of corner stairs leading to the roof have been preserved.

Ruins of the Temple of Bel in Palmyra. The main temple of the sanctuary of Bel. Inner hall of the Temple of Bel.

The Temple of Bel in Palmyra is a temple dedicated to the local supreme god Bel, part of the complex of ruins of the ancient Syrian city of Tadmor. It was the main shrine of the city. Today it has been partially restored. The temple is a peculiar hybrid of oriental and ancient architecture: the layout is made in the style of temples of the Middle East, and the facades are modeled on Greek and Roman temples. Built in 32 AD (one of the most ancient buildings in the city).

Exterior

Main temple of the sanctuary of Bel

Interior

Palmyra is probably one of the most famous cities of ancient Syria. A settlement in the Palmyra (Tadmor) oasis, surrounded for many kilometers by a rocky, barren desert, existed at the end of the 3rd millennium BC. e.

Life in the oasis of Palmyra was possible thanks to the presence of water - several springs, one of which, Efka, was considered sacred in ancient times. Palmyra stood on an important caravan route from Mesopotamia to the sea coast and thanks to this it quickly became a rich trading city. The heyday of Palmyra dates back to the 1st-3rd century AD. And several centuries earlier, probably at the beginning of the 1st century BC. e., a sanctuary of Bel (Baal) appeared in the city - the local supreme deity, the lord of the sky, thunder and lightning, an analogue of the ancient Greek Zeus. In 272, the Roman Emperor Aurelian, who captured Palmyra, completely destroyed and plundered the city. Gradually, its ruins were covered with sand, and Palmyra became known again only in the 17th century. Excavations of the ancient city began in the 1920s and are still ongoing. The complex of the ruins of Palmyra is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. One of the most outstanding creations of the ancient masters of Palmyra is the Temple of Bel, the main shrine of the city. Today it has been partially restored. Its building, as evidenced by the inscription preserved on its ruins, was erected in 32 AD. The Temple of Bel is a kind of hybrid of oriental and ancient architecture: the building plan is made in the traditions of temples of the Middle East, and its facades are designed in the spirit of ancient architecture, modeled on Greek and Roman temples. The Temple of Bel is located in the center of the vast open courtyard of the sanctuary. The sanctuary was located on a high terrace measuring 305x210 meters and was surrounded by walls of well-fitted stone blocks. The walls were decorated with small columns. The courtyard was surrounded on all sides by covered porticos, supported by two rows of columns. In some places, fragments of these porticos survived and have been preserved to this day. On the western side of the courtyard there was the main gate, decorated with propylaea and sculptures. Through three doors one could enter the courtyard. On both sides of the doors there are gentle slopes along which sacrificial animals were brought into the courtyard. In the 12th century, the Arabs turned the sanctuary of Bel into a fortress, while building a bastion in the propylaea. The material of the sanctuary was used for these purposes. As a result, the internal buildings of the sanctuary were practically not preserved; only the foundations of the large altar for sacrifices and the pool for washing the animals intended for sacrifice survived. The main temple of Bel's sanctuary stood on a stepped base. The central rectangular room is surrounded on all sides by a colonnade, while at the ends of the building the columns are placed in two rows. The capitals of the portico columns were made of gilded bronze. During Roman rule, they were removed and taken away by the Roman emperor Aurelian as a war trophy. The central entrance to the temple was not located from the end side, as was customary in ancient temples, and from the longitudinal side, as provided for by the architectural traditions of the Ancient East. The entrance is emphasized by powerful pylons covered with stone reliefs. The entrance to the temple was once decorated with carvings in the form of a grapevine - a motif popular in ancient Palmyra. Judging by the surviving fragments, reliefs carved from stone also covered the facades of the temple. Today, the remains of carved stone slabs and large pieces of broken columns lie scattered around the temple ruins. The interior of the Temple of Bel is a single large hall, not divided by any colonnades or walls. Light enters it through rectangular windows located almost under the roof. In the center of both end walls, large rectangular niches made in the form of portals have been preserved, in which statues of gods once stood; in the northern wall there are idols of Bel, Yaribol (the god of the Sun) and Aglibol (the god Moon), and in the south there is a golden statue of Bel, the main shrine of the temple, taken by the emperor Aurelian to Rome. A wide staircase led to it, the remains of which are still visible today. Now the niches are empty, they are decorated with rich carvings, and especially magnificent carvings cover the ceilings of the sacred niches. The temple was once covered with a flat roof, but now nothing remains of it. Only the remains of corner stairs have been preserved, along which one could climb to the roof. The Temple of Bel is one of the most ancient structures in Palmyra. And, although the temple has survived to this day with significant losses, its monumental ruins continue to make an indelible impression. Link to

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Illustration copyright Getty Images Image caption Jihadists captured Palmyra in May

Militants of the radical group "Islamic State" blew up the ancient temple of Bel in Syrian Palmyra, built about two thousand years ago. This is the second temple in ancient Palmyra destroyed by militants in August.

The explosion partially or completely destroyed the temple, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It has not yet been possible to obtain reliable confirmation of information about the destruction of the temple. The jihadists themselves, who usually publish photographs and videos of destruction, have not yet done so.

The Temple of Bel, dedicated to the local supreme deity, is one of the most significant buildings of ancient Palmyra. The temple, like many other buildings in Palmyra, combines elements of Greco-Roman and Middle Eastern architecture: the layout of the building is made in the style of Middle Eastern temples, and the facades are modeled on Roman and Greek ones.

A few days ago, jihadists destroyed another temple on the territory of Palmyra -

The Temple of Baal-Shamin (or Baalshamem) was considered one of the most significant monuments of late antiquity; it was erected in honor of the pagan Phoenician god of storms and fertile rains. Historians believe that it was built in the 1st century AD.

UNESCO called the destruction of the Temple of Baal Shamin “a new war crime and a huge loss for the people of Syria and all humanity.”

Destruction of monuments

The Islamic State group has established control over the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Illustration copyright Reuters Image caption The Temple of Baal Shamin was considered one of the most significant monuments of late antiquity

Since then, researchers and lovers of ancient culture around the world have feared that Palmyra would suffer the same fate as a number of other architectural monuments in Syria and Iraq that were destroyed by militants.

In July, it became known that Islamists destroyed a three-meter statue of the lion al-Lat from Palmyra, which was two thousand years old.

In mid-August, militants, the chief caretaker of the architectural complex in Palmyra, Khaled Asaad.

According to the relatives of the eminent archaeologist, the militants beheaded Asaad and then hung his body on one of the Greco-Roman columns in the center of the ancient city.

Jihadists of the "Islamic State" of significant historical value.

ISIS militants previously razed the ruins of the ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq, and also destroyed a complex of statues in Iraqi Mosul.

Archaeologists from Oxford and Harvard universities are trying to save the remaining ancient monuments to the population of Middle Eastern countries where jihadists from the Islamic State group operate.

Thousands of local residents, according to archaeologists, could use such cameras to take three-dimensional photographs of destroyed buildings and sculptures. In the future, 3D images could make it possible to create replicas of destroyed buildings.

Ancient Palmyra

According to the Bible, Palmyra was founded by King Solomon in an oasis in the middle of the desert between Damascus and the Euphrates River.

Palmyra later became an important trading center at the crossroads of trade routes between the West and the East.

Ancient buildings, which mixed Greco-Roman and local traditions, as well as the influence of the Persians, were erected in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.

The Islamic State group is recognized as a terrorist organization in a number of countries, including Russia.

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The Temple of Bel in Palmyra is a temple dedicated to the local supreme god Bel, part of the complex of ruins of the ancient Syrian city of Tadmor.

It was the main shrine of the city. Today it has been partially restored. The Temple of Bel is located in the center of the vast open courtyard of the sanctuary. The sanctuary was located on a high terrace with an area of 64,050 m², surrounded by walls made of stone blocks. The walls were decorated with small columns. The courtyard was surrounded on all sides by covered porticoes supported by two rows of columns. On the western side there was the main gate, decorated with sculptures and propylaea.

The temple is a peculiar hybrid of oriental and ancient architecture: the layout is made in the style of temples of the Middle East, and the facades are modeled on Greek and Roman temples. Built in 32 AD and is one of the most ancient buildings in the city. The main temple of the sanctuary of Bel was located on a stepped base, the central rectangular room was surrounded on all sides by a colonnade, with two rows at the ends of the building.

Three doors led into a huge courtyard, almost two hundred meters in diameter, enclosed by a high wall made of well-fitted stone blocks and cut through by small window openings. Inside, double rows of covered colonnades-galleries stretched along the walls. Smooth twenty-meter-high columns were crowned with now-unpreserved bronze capitals of the Corinthian order. On the western side of the courtyard there was a main gate, decorated with propylaea and sculptures. In the 12th century, the Arabs turned the sanctuary of Bel into a fortress, using the material from the internal buildings of the temple for these purposes. As a result, only the remains of a large altar for sacrifices and a pool for washing the animals intended for sacrifice have survived to this day.

The entrance to the temple was not from the end, as was customary in ancient temples, but from the longitudinal side, as provided for by the architectural traditions of the Ancient East. This entrance is highlighted by powerful pylons covered with bas-reliefs demonstrating the magnificent work of ancient stonemasons. One of the bas-reliefs depicts a sacrificial procession - women covered with veils march behind a line of camels. This detail is especially noteworthy because the manner of the decorative arrangement of the folds of the garment is remarkably reminiscent of modern fashion, and also because this image proves that local women wore the veil even in the pre-Islamic period.

Judging by the surviving fragments, reliefs carved from stone also covered the facades of the temple. Today, the remains of carved stone slabs and large pieces of broken columns lie scattered around the ruins. The entrance is marked by powerful pylons covered with stone reliefs.

The interior of the Temple of Bel is a single large hall, not divided by any colonnades or walls. Light enters it through rectangular windows located almost under the roof. In the center of both end walls, large rectangular niches have been preserved, in which statues of deities once stood: on the northern side there are idols of Bel, Yaribol (the Sun god) and Aglibol (the Moon god), and on the southern side there is a golden statue of Bel, the main shrine of the temple, taken away by the emperor Aurelian to Rome. A wide staircase led to it, the remains of which are still visible today. Now the niches are empty; they are decorated with rich carvings, and especially magnificent carvings cover the ceilings of the sacred niches. The temple was once covered with a flat roof, but now nothing remains of it. Only the remains of the corner stairs have been preserved, along which one could climb to the roof.