ThePhoenician city of Baalbek was known as Heliopolis (the city of the Sun) during the Hellenistic period.
The city became an important religious center during Greco-Roman times and it was one of the largest sanctuaries in the Roman Empire.
The greatest temple of the city was sacred to Jupiter Baal, (Heliopolitan Zeus), identified with the Sun. The Jupiterworshipped there was also understood to be Baal-Hadad, a local storm deity who had been honoured for centuries. The temple was constructed during the 1st century AD (completed circa 60 AD) on top of a podium and foundations presumably from a previous ancient temple. The temple had more than 50 Corinthian columns, 20 meters high, but today only six columns remain standing.
Baalbek, with its colossal structures, is one of the finest and most impressive examples of Imperial Roman architecture.
