Baalbek: temple of Mercury


Stairs to the temple of Mercury

Baalbek is famous for the temples of Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus. Another temple, however, is known from the coins of the Roman emperor Philip the Arab (r.244-249). It has been identified at Sheikh Abdallah Hill, not far from the barracks of the Lebanese army, but only a flight of stairs survives.

The temple itself must have been a bit more to the southwest, on the summit of the hill. Stones of the ancient sanctuary have been reused in a local Muslim shrine.