Nahle, Lebanon

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Nahlé
Village
CountryFile:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon
GovernorateBaalbek-Hermel
DistrictBaalbek
Nahlé
نحله
Location6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northeast of Baalbek
RegionBaalbek
Coordinates34°03′30″N 36°17′58″E / 34.05833°N 36.29944°E / 34.05833; 36.29944
History
CulturesRoman
Site notes
ConditionRuins
Public accessYes

Nahlé (Arabic: نحله Nahlah), is a village situated 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northeast of Baalbek in Baalbek District, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, Lebanon.[1] It has the ruins of a Roman temple.

Name

The Lebanese town of Nahlé derives its name from the Arabic word “نحلة” (Nahleh), meaning “honeybee.” This interpretation reflects a connection to nature, potentially emphasizing the industrious and community-oriented qualities associated with bees. Additionally, Nahlé is known for its ancient history, including Roman-era ruins, suggesting that the name could also carry historical or cultural significance tied to its origins.

History

Nahle was probably founded during Roman rule of the region, that was called in the first century Roman Phoenicia.[citation needed] The 13th-century geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi listed Nahlah in his geographical dictionary, with its entry being "a village lying 3 miles from Ba'labakk".[2] In 1838, Eli Smith noted Nahleh as a Metawileh village in the Baalbek area.[3] Actually Nahle is located above a valley.[citation needed]

Roman temple

There are the ruins of a Roman temple in the village that are included in a group of Temples of the Beqaa Valley.[4] The temple foundations are made of gigantic blocks of stone, upon which sit the remains of a podium. The podium has a long inscription written on it that is now almost impossible to read.[1] The huge foundations indicate that there was a huge temple over these foundations during Roman centuries.[5] This sanctuary consisted of two parts: an open air court and a large room with a ceiling where notches for the wooden beam still exist. Only a few courses of stone are still standing.[citation needed]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 George Taylor (1967). The Roman temples of Lebanon: a pictorial guide. Dar el-Machreq Publishers. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  2. Le Strange, Guy (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems. London: A. P. Watt. p. 514. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  3. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 145
  4. Othmar Keel (1997). The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms. Eisenbrauns. pp. 159–. ISBN 978-1-57506-014-9. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
  5. Nahle Roman temple

Bibliography

External links