The Temple of Bacchus at Baalbek is the best-preserved Roman temple in Lebanon and one of the finest in the former Roman world. Despite its popular name, the richly carved cella was likely dedicated within the Heliopolitan sanctuary beside the much larger Temple of Jupiter. Its gate, coffered ceiling stones, Corinthian columns and reliefs of music and ritual survived earthquakes and medieval occupation better than its neighbour. The temple sits inside the UNESCO site of Baalbek, so a ticket to the complex includes it along with the Great Court and the Temple of Venus nearby. No serious visit to Roman Lebanon skips this building. The scale is easier to grasp from the steps, then again from the quarry road outside.
