The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-22

teen feet In diameter, still crown the higher
submits, but few of them are visible from
thetrain. Awell built carrie &c road follows
the same general course "a the railroad,
but the latter now m~onopo!izes the traffic.
The main line Of tho railroad runs to Damas-
Gus, but in the Beka. as the valley Of the
Leontes Ia called at this pointSa branch has
been built to Baalbek, where a wonderful
30 long ago that history does not record
its beginning. Arab tradition peoples this
district with the earliest OF the Bible char
acbers.
The tower Of Babel has been located at
Baalbek by ono tradition, while another
has Cain building a fortress, there as a
refuge. 1t 10 certain that the city ranks
among the oldest known to history, the
Loo alton being probably determined by the
presence Of a very large spring, whose
waters would supply a great population.
Tho name Of the city Out a few thousand
Inhabitants are to be found there now> in
dictates that It was the centre Of Baal, or
sun, worship. 1t is believed by those who
have made research that an ancient tenn
pie, built by the Egyptians or Phonicians,
occupied the ground nov covered by the
ruins Of a later temple built by the Romans
It is this latter temple which has drawn
tourists from all over the world. 1t was
begun during the first century Of theC Chris
tian era, and the work upon 1t continued
for more than 200 years. 1t was dedicated
TO Jupiter and the Sun, the worship Of
these two deities being combined. The
Romans even adopted the GreeF name,
Heliopolis, for the city, but the Arabic
designation, Baalbek. has survived,
BAALBEK's orEAT TEMPLE.
This great temple was laid out upon an
immense scale. First a hin was built, filed
with eubterranean chambers, and upon
the massive walls which separated these
chambers the superstructure was reared.
The temple was approached by q staircase
$50 feet wide and entered through q hex
agonal court 200 feet In diameter. Next
came the great court, nearly 400 feet square,
with an altar in the centre. Both OF these
courts were open, but had broad colonnades
around the sides supported by granite pill
lars brought from the upper Nile. These
colonnades were ornamented with carvings
and contained two rows Of inches, $50 alto
gether, formerly occupied by images.
Our guide, MIR. About, whose pamphlet on
Baalbek gives the results OF his fifteen
years study Of the ruins. insists that the
great court was really o pantheon and
contained affairs to all OF the gods Mt that
time worshipped by the oonouerors and
by the native population.
The temple Of Jupiter must have been a
most impressive building. It stood 20 feet
above ths courts. and therefore about fifty
Sset above the natural level Of the ground
around. 1t measured $40 feet in length,
and 100 In breadth. Its outer wall supported
ffty-four columns in Corinthian style,
each column being 70 feet In height. 7
feet In diameter and composed of three
pieces. Six OF these columns are still stand
Ing, having survived three earthquakes
and one mountain torrent. The six columns
with the capitals and oornice give some
idea Of the magnihcence Of the temple
before its decay. The stone used IL taken
from . limestone quar- near the city, and
the carving h excellent. Enormous mafses
OF stone lte scattered over the ground
parts Of Pillars. pieces OF cornice and 500
tons Of the pedimspt- How these huge