 |
| Temple of Bell |
After Rasafa my driver took me out to Palmyra. There's a lot to see among the ruins there. Palmyra would have been quiet amazing when it was at its finest. The stone columns and archways that line the streets here are still impressive and you get a sense of the grandeur this once busy city would have possessed.
The Temple of Bell is a masons dream and, although weathered now, this large imposing temple still displays some beautiful stone carvings atop the giant columns that adorn the courtyard and the temple itself. You have to marvel at the size of each circular block that sit one on top of another, meters high and wonder how much blood, sweat and tears went in to building this place. I visited the Tower Tombs and the Ba'alshamin Temple which I loved. The temple is very old (2nd century) and is the temple to the god of heavens, storms and fertilising rains. Just the thing for the farm; no wonder a tree now grows inside its walls.
 |
| Palmyra's famous column lined streets leading into the city from the Temple of Bell |
 |
| Ba'alshamin Temple |
Overlooking the whole place is a distant crusader castle. My time ran out and my driver had to get me to Damascus. Maybe one day I'll get back to take a closer look.
No comments:
Post a Comment