Baalbek

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Baalbek ( BAHL-bek, BAY-əl-bek; Arabic: بَعْلَبَكّ, romanized: Baʿlabakk, Lebanese: Bʿalbak; Syriac: ܒܥܠܒܟ; Phoenician: 𐤁𐤏𐤋𐤁𐤊, romanized: bʿlbk) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about 67 km (42 mi) northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of Shia Muslims, followed by Sunni Muslims and Christians; in 2017, there was also a large presence of Syrian refugees. Baalbek's history dates back at least 11,000 years. After Alexander the Great conquered the city in 334 BCE, he renamed it Heliopolis (Ancient Greek: Ἡλιούπολις, romanized: Hēlioúpolis, lit. 'Sun City'; Syriac: ܐܝܠܝܘܦܘܠܝܣ, romanized: ʾĪliyōp̄ōlīs). The city flourished under Roman rule. However, it underwent transformations during the Christianization period and the subsequent rise of Islam following the Arab conquest in the 7th century. In later periods, the city was sacked by the Mongols and...

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