Back بعلبك Arabic بعلبك ARZ Baalbek AST Bəəlbək Azerbaijani Баальбек Byelorussian Баалбек Bulgarian বালবেক Bengali/Bangla Baalbek Catalan Baalbek (kapital sa lalawigan sa Lebanon) CEB Baalbek Czech

Baalbek

Not to be confused with Balbec, Indiana, in the United States.

Baalbek
بَعْلَبَكّ
City
Temple of Bacchus
Temple of Bacchus
Baalbek is located in Lebanon
Baalbek
Baalbek
Location in Lebanon
Coordinates: 34°0′22.81″N 36°12′26.36″E / 34.0063361°N 36.2073222°E / 34.0063361; 36.2073222
Country Lebanon
GovernorateBaalbek-Hermel
DistrictBaalbek
Government
 • MayorBachir Khodr
Area
 • City
7 km2 (3 sq mi)
 • Metro
16 km2 (6 sq mi)
Elevation
1,170 m (3,840 ft)
Population
[citation needed]
 • City
82,608
 • Metro
105,000
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)+3
CriteriaCultural: i, iv
Reference294
Inscription1984 (8th Session)

Baalbek[a] (/ˈbɑːlbɛk, ˈbeɪəlbɛk/;[5] Arabic: بَعْلَبَكّ, romanized: Baʿlabakk; Syriac: ܒܥܠܒܟ) 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.[6] In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608.[7] Most of the population consists of Shia Muslims, followed by Sunni Muslims and Christians;[7] in 2017, there was also a large presence of Syrian refugees.[8]

Baalbek has a history that dates back at least 11,000 years, encompassing significant periods such as Prehistoric, Canaanite, Hellenistic, and Roman eras. After Alexander the Great conquered the city in 334 BCE, he renamed it Heliopolis (Ἡλιούπολις, Greek for "Sun City"). 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 faced a series of earthquakes, resulting in a decline in importance during the Ottoman and modern periods.[9]

In the modern era, Baalbek enjoys economic advantages as a sought-after tourist destination.[10] It is known for the ruins of the Roman temple complex, which includes the Temple of Bacchus and the Temple of Jupiter, and was inscribed in 1984 as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Other tourist attractions are the Great Umayyad Mosque, the Baalbek International Festival, the mausoleum of Sit Khawla, and a Roman quarry site named Hajar al-Hibla.[9] Baalbek's tourism sector has encountered challenges due to conflicts in Lebanon, particularly the 1975–1990 civil war, the ongoing Syrian civil war since 2011,[9][11] and the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present).[12]

Baalbek has been a stronghold of the militant organization Hezbollah since the 1980s. During the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon (1982–2000), the group managed to overpower the Lebanese army in Baalbek and gain control of city. The settlement was susequently used as a base to recruit and train men for attacks against Israeli forces.[13][14][15] Hezbollah continues to hold immense political inflience and popular support in Baalbek.[16][17] In the 2022 Lebanese general election the Amal-Hezbollah list won 9 out of 10 seats in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate.[18]

Israel has conducted numerous airstrikes and raids against military and civilian targets in the Baalbek area in the past decades. For instance, in 2006 during the Operation Sharp and Smooth, Israeli commandos raided a hospital and bombed multiple houses, killing two Hezbollah fighters and at least eleven civilians.[19][20][21] In 2024, during the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, Israel sent forced displacement calls for the entire city.[22][23] Shortly after, Israeli airstrikes killed 19 people, including 8 women.[24]

  1. ^ Cook's (1876).
  2. ^ Wood (1757).
  3. ^ EB (1878), p. 176.
  4. ^ إتحاد بلديات غربي بعلبك [West Baalbeck Municipalities Union] (in Arabic). 2013. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  5. ^
    • Olausson, Lena (2 August 2006). "How to Say: Baalbek". London: BBC. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
    • "Baalbek". Merriam–Webster. 2020.
    • "Baalbek". American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 2020.
  6. ^ "Mohafazah de Baalbek-Hermel". Localiban. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  7. ^ a b Wolfgang Gockel; Helga Bruns (1998). Syria – Lebanon (illustrated ed.). Hunter Publishing, Inc. p. 202. ISBN 9783886181056.
  8. ^ "Ba'albak (District, Lebanon) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Najem, Tom; Amore, Roy C.; Abu Khalil, As'ad (2021). Historical Dictionary of Lebanon. Historical Dictionaries of Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East (2nd ed.). Lanham Boulder New York London: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 45–46. ISBN 978-1-5381-2043-9.
  10. ^ Israeli war with Hezbollah cripples tourism in ancient city of Baalbek. Retrieved 1 November 2024 – via apnews.com.
  11. ^ Paturel, Simone (2019). Baalbek-Heliopolis, the Bekaa, and Berytus from 100 BCE to 400 CE: A Landscape Transformed. BRILL. p. 6. ISBN 9789004400733. The town of Baalbek is a Hezbollah stronghold and was the scene of Israeli commando raids in 2006 and some rocket fire from Syria in recent years due to the civil war.
  12. ^ Israeli war with Hezbollah cripples tourism in ancient city of Baalbek. Retrieved 18 November 2024 – via apnews.com.
  13. ^ Hamzeh, Ahmad Nizar (2004). In the Path of Hizbullah. Syracuse University Press. pp. 100–128. ISBN 978-0-8156-3053-1.
  14. ^ Malthaner, Stefan (2011). Mobilizing the Faithful: Militant Islamist Groups and Their Constituencies. Campus Verlag. pp. 82–83, 182–184, 236–242. ISBN 9783593394121.
  15. ^ Levitt, Matthew (2013). Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon's Party of God (Updated ed.). Georgetown University Press (published 2024). p. 129. ISBN 9781647125325.
  16. ^ Chaddad, Rita (2021). "Culture, tourism, and territory: Analyzing discourses and perceptions of actors in Byblos and Baalbek in Lebanon". Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change. 19 (6): 805–818. doi:10.1080/14766825.2020.1802470.
  17. ^ "Inside the Lebanese Valley Where Israel Is Bombarding Hezbollah". New York Times. 27 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Here's The List Of Who Won In The Bekaa III (Baalbek-Hermel) District In Lebanon's Elections 2022". 16 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Why They Died: Civilian Casualties in Lebanon during the 2006 War" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. 19 (5): 124–129.
  20. ^ Pedahzur, Ami (2009). The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism. Columbia University Press. p. 132. ISBN 9780231140423.
  21. ^ Andrew Lee Butters (2 August 2006). "Behind the Battle for Baalbek". Time. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  22. ^ "Israel conducts air raid on Baalbek, Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon". Reuters. 23 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Israeli Airstrike Hits Hezbollah Stronghold in Northeast Lebanon". Voice of America. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  24. ^ Staff, Al Jazeera. "What is Lebanon's ancient city of Baalbek and why is Israel targeting it?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 1 November 2024.


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