volume 2 - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian History Workshop

i62 The Temple of Ba'albak.
name being probably a translation of its ancient name.
It occupies an important position on the great road
from Tyre to Aleppo and a city must always have
stood here. The Romans maintained a garrison here,
and Antoninus Pius and other emperors are said to
have founded temples in the city and to have beautified
it. Theodosius the Great turned the great temple
into a church. It was besieged by the Arabs in the
seventh century, and its inhabitants surrendered it
and paid the conquerors tribute. The Seljuk princes
captured it at the end of the eleventh century, Changiz
Khan in 1140, Hulagu destroyed much of the city in
1260, and Timur sacked it in 1400. The Turks took
possession of it early in the sixteenth century, and under
their rule it has sunk to an unimportant village, and
the trade which formerly made it rich has transferred
itself to other routes.
After the French Sisters had departed the innkeeper
came in with a Turkish official, and brought him to
me and told me that he was " Nazir Antikat," or Custodian
of the ruins of Ba'albak. This gentleman spoke
French and was well acquainted with the history of
the town under Arab rule, and after some talk he
kindly proposed to walk about the ruins with me so
that I might see them by starlight and moonlight.
We set out at once, and as he knew all the short cuts
we soon found ourselves in places where massive walls
stood of old, and where good views of the temples might
be obtained. The ruins looked much larger by night
than by day, and seemed to cover a great deal of ground ;
and as there was no strong light to show up all the
damage which the pillars and columns had sustained,
the general effect was very fine. In this way I spent a
couple of enjoyable and instructive hours. Before the
Nazir left me he promised to come for me at 5 a.m.
and to show me the ruins by morning light, and true
to his promise he came. I went with him, and I was
glad to find by the opening in the wall of the temple
a guardian who demanded 4^ francs for admission,
and gave me a receipt for the money when I paid it.