Temple of Baal at Palmyra

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Belt temple of Palmyra with entrance gate (2007)

The Temple of Bēl is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Temple of Baal , due to its similarity to the temple of Baalschamin , in the Syrian ruined city of Palmyra in the south of the ancient Roman city ​​and was dedicated to the deity Bēl. The term Baal is often, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the various supreme deities in the Syrian and Levantine regions. The building was blown up on August 30, 2015 by supporters of the terrorist organization " Islamic State " (IS), only the outer wall remained.

history

The temple was one of the most important religious structures in the Middle East in the first century AD . The oldest part dates from the Hellenistic period, but only stones in the outer walls in the northeast and southwest bear witness to this. 32 BC The shrine, the actual sanctuary, was built. The outer space was built between 80 and 120 AD, with a sacrificial altar and water basin.

The remains of the temple of Baal after the destruction by IS (2016)

The entire temple complex was laid out in a square. The only portal was on the west side. The base of the temple had a side length of about 200 m. Inside, the area was framed by porticos with Corinthian capitals . There was a small entrance for the sacrificial animals, a tunnel under the wall. The outer wall was eleven meters high.

The ruins of Palmyra, to which the temple of Baal belongs, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980 .

During the civil war in Syria there was generally considerable destruction in the area of ​​the archaeological site. On August 30, 2015, the terrorist organization " Islamic State " (IS) blew up the building, the outer wall remained. Eight days earlier, IS had destroyed the temple of Baal-Shamin in Palmyra.

Special features of the construction

The temple was designed according to the Roman model, but had some special features. The entrance to the Holy of Holies was not exactly in the middle. In addition, the entrance was on the long side and not on the narrow side, as is usual with Roman temples . In addition, the temple of Baal had windows. The roof was completely surrounded by Arab battlements. These features prove that Palmyra had partly retained an independent architecture. The Holy of Holies was right in the center of the courtyard. The portal of the temple and the entrance to the holy of holies were on one line. However, both were not in the middle of the wall, but slightly offset from it. The Holy of Holies had a terraced flat roof and corner turrets. The roof could be accessed via two flights of stairs. This suggests that Baal was also worshiped from the roof. This makes sense because Baal - depending on the region - could also take on features of a weather god .

The whole temple was decorated with reliefs. The herringbone pattern, which adorned the cult niches inside the temple, was still clearly visible until the destruction in 2015. Since the entrance to the temple was on the long side, the sanctuary of the temple had not just one, but two cult niches. Both used to have statues. The ceiling of the northern niche was decorated with motifs from Palmyrenian mythology. Researchers recognized images of deities that corresponded to the seven days of the week or could have symbolized the solar system. The exact motives could never be finally clarified. A winged being with stars could represent Baal. The motif symbolizes that the winged creature has a special position. The southern niche definitely belonged to the main god Baal. It was decorated with a rosette that symbolized the sun. There were numerous stars around the southern niche. The niche was colored dark in modern times, as Bedouins used the temple as a resting place and lit fires under the niche. The temple had magnificent reliefs, which were testified by large blocks of stone placed in front of it. Among other things, gods and caravan scenes were depicted.

  • Digital reconstruction of the temple of Baal

  • Baal temple and outer wall (2009)

  • Entrance gate of the temple of Baal

  • Row of columns on the back

  • Part of the outer wall

and display information about the image
Court and Temple of Baal in Palmyra (2007)

literature

  • Muriel Brunswig-Ibrahim: Syria. Rump-Verlag, Bielefeld 2006, ISBN 3-8317-1472-X .
  • Charles Gates: Ancient cities: the archeology of urban life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome. Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-01895-1 .

Web links

Commons : Temple of Baal of Palmyra  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c d Charles Gates: Ancient Cities: The Archeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Rome. P. 388 ff.
  2. ↑ UNESCO List 23 , accessed on September 1, 2015
  3. ↑ Spiegel.de: World Heritage Site in Syria: IS terrorists blow up Palmyra's largest temple
  4. ^ SZ.de: IS terrorists blow up the temple of Baal in Palmyra
  5. ^ Zeit.de IS terrorists blow up the temple of Baal in Palmyra
  6. ↑ Welt.de: Pictures show destroyed temple complexes in Palmyra

Coordinates: 34 ° 32 ′ 49.2 "  N , 38 ° 16 ′ 26.4"  E