In
Lebanon, at an altitude of approximately 1,170 meters in Beqaa valley stands
the famous Baalbek or known in Roman times as Heliopolis. Baalbek is an ancient
site that has been used since the Bronze Age with a history of at least 9,000
years, according to evidence found during the German archaeological expedition in 1898.
Baalbek
was an ancient Phoenician city that was named by the
name of the sky God Baal. The name ‘Baal’ in the Phoenician language meant
‘lord’ or ‘god’. Legends abound around Baalbek with some of them mentioning
that Baalbek was the place where Baal first arrived on Earth and thus ancient
alien theorists suggest that the initial building was probably built as a
platform to be used for sky God Baal to ‘land’ and ‘take off’.
Part of
this suggestion is because Heliopolis was built on a massive platform that
probably was built in pre-roman times for the initial temple or city of Baal -
Baalbek. If you look at the picture it becomes obvious that different
civilizations have built different parts of what is now known as Heliopolis.
However beyond theories, the actual purpose of this structure as well as who
has built it are completely unknown. Massive stone blocks have been used with
the largest of the stones to be approximately 1,500 tons and a size of 68x14x14
feet. Those are the largest building blocks that have ever existed in the whole
world.
The way that those stones were cut and moved has
fascinated researchers for many years now. Because of the existence of ancient
texts referring to Baalbek as a landing place the speculations about
pre-existing advanced civilizations that we do not know about, as well as alien
intervention, have flourished. We need to make clear that those stones are not
made by the Romans as many debunkers try to propose. However even if we could
hypothesize that it was Romans that did built the whole site including the
platform, even Romans with their advanced technology while they could probably
explain how the smaller stones of 2 to 3 tons could be cut and moved it
WOULDN’T explain how they could cut and move 1,500 tons blocks.
It is
possible that the platform below the Heliopolis was built as the base of
another older temple that probably the Egyptians or the Romans destroyed to
build Heliopolis (a name given by Alexander the Great when he conquered the
area). The area was previously used also by the Egyptians to worship Ra. Which
makes you wonder why they would build another temple on the same place and
multiple civilizations use the same exact spot, unless that place was important
for some reason. It is also interesting to mention that in Heliopolis Baal was
also worshiped as well as other Greek and Roman Gods. Over the ruins of the
pre-roman site a massive temple of Jupiter, the largest temple of its kind, as
well as smaller temples for Venus and Mercury were built by the Romans.
The
quarry that was used was situated about ¼ mile away from the area. So not only
did they transfer those massive stones that distance but they also placed them
together in such a precise way that not a sheet of paper can fit between the
stones. That is another point that the debunkers fail to reply to - even if the
stones were carried in the ways they suggest, how could they place rectangle
stone blocks in such a precise way next to each other?
Another interesting point is that
if the Romans/Greeks have built such a massive platform why there is no
reference at all as to how that was built since it is the only place in the
world (and consequently in the Roman Empire) that such a monumental work has
been done.
In
another context, biblical archaeologists have connected Baalbek to Baalgad that
is mentioned in the Bible.
So Joshua
took all that land, the hill country and all the Negeb and all the land of
Goshen and the lowland and the Arabah and the hill country of Israel and its
lowland from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, as far as Baal-gad in the
Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. And he captured all their kings and
struck them and put them to death. Joshua 11:16-11:17
Although
not all archaeologists agree with that theory, it is obvious that there are
huge similarities between a) the Baal-gad, a sanctuary of Baal and b) Baalbek
also a temple for Baal according to the legends (before it was named Heliopolis
and new temples were built) and both in the same area in Lebanon.
In the
Bible there is another name that appears related to Baal, which is Baalath, a
town of the tribe of Dan, which was fortified by King Solomon in 970 BC where
again Baal was worshiped with the permission of Solomon. It is worth mentioning
here that even in the temple of Solomon, Baal was a deity that was allowed to
be worshiped in the temple.
And
Baalath, and all the store cities that Solomon had, and all the chariot cities,
and the cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired to build in
Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout all the land of his dominion.
Chronicles 8:6
It has
become obvious that Baalbek is a mysterious ancient city, used for thousands of
years by many different civilizations. The Phoenicians, the Egyptians, the
Greeks and the Romans all of them used it and all of them worshiped Baal. The
origins are unknown and why the site was so important is also unknown. What is
for sure is that the initial site wasn’t constructed by Romans, and before the
Romans there was no known civilization that would have the technology to build
such a massive monument. It makes sense that somehow they got the technology to
do it and somehow Baal is related to that. The debunkers have not provided
sufficient answers and the possibility of advanced civilizations being
responsible for it, as mentioned in myths and legends, seems closer to reality.
By John Black
