Baalbek: Sanctuary of Jupiter Heliopolitanus, hexagonal court

Between the propylaeum and the rectangular court is a hexagonal court, the plan is unparalleled for a courtyard and is another sign of the originality and sophistication of the temple complex.\u000a\u000aGreco-Roman site in Lebanon, a large and important ancient city; was identified with worship of Baal, a Semitic sun-god (thus the name Heliopolis); most buildings were erected under reign of Roman Antoninus Pius 138-161. Its remains chiefly comprise the vast Sanctuary of Jupiter Heliopolitanus (begun ca. 1st century BCE), the exceptionally well preserved 'Temple of Bacchus' (2nd century CE) and an elegant circular temple perhaps dedicated to Venus (3rd century CE). The ancient city lay on the caravan route from Damascus and Palmyra to the Phoenician coastal cities and was occupied from prehistoric times, although it did not become important until the Hellenistic period (323-27 BCE).