Are they the devil's stones?
VISALAKSHI RAMANI
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Constructed in the first century, the spectacular temples at Baalbeck are not only fascinating but also beautiful.
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STILL STANDING: Mysterious and enchanting.
Situated in Baalbeck, on a lush green plain, 53 miles from Lebanon stand the ruins of a group of Roman temples known for their beauty and grace. For centuries the temples of Baalbeck lay under rubble. But even in ruin the site attracted the admiration of visitors and its historical importance was recognised.
Baalbeck's temples were built on an ancient tell that goes back at least to the end of the third millennium B.C. In the first millennium B.C. an enclosed court was built on the ancient tell. An altar was set in the centre of this court. During the Hellenistic period (333-64 B.C.) the Greeks identified the god of Baalbeck with the sun god and the city was called Heliopolis or City of the Sun. At this time the ancient enclosed court was enlarged and a podium was erected on its western side to support a temple of classical form. It was over the ancient court that the Romans placed the Great Court of the Temple of Jupiter.
Perfect construction
The massive stonewall surrounding the temple continues to baffle the experts even today.
At the western end lie three of the largest cut blocks of stones in the world. Transporting and placing them in a horizontal position would have been a Herculean task even to modern engineers using the most sophisticated technology. Yet, these stones have been in position for nearly 2000 years. These three colossal stones are unique and are rightfully called "The Trilithon".
Placed on an end, each of these stones will stand as tall as a five-storey building. The largest stone weighs 800 tons, and they had been cut in a quarry a mile away, transported to the site of the temples, lifted up to its final position, on to the top of the platform made of smaller stones.
These stones are cut and placed so precisely that it is impossible to insert the blade of a knife between the joints. No wonder the earlier people thought that it must have been the work of the devil himself and called the stones devil's stones. Even today people fear that there is something supernatural about these stones.
Another stone, a fourth, larger than the Trilithon and weighing 1000 tons, lies in the quarry that was used for the construction of the temple. Mystery shrouds the reason for this, as all the possible explanations put forward have been completely unacceptable.
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