Temple of Baalshamin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Temple of Baalshamin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Temple of Bel.

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Temple of Baalshamin
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
The Temple of Baalshamin in 2010
Location	Syria
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iv
Reference	23
UNESCO region	Arab States
Inscription history
Inscription	1980 (4th Session)
Endangered	since 2013 (Destroyed in 2015 by ISIL)

Location of Temple of Baalshamin in Syria.

The Temple of Baalshamin was an ancient temple in the city of Palmyra, Syria, dedicated to the Canaanite deity Baalshamin. The temple's earliest phase date to the late second century BC.^[1] It was rebuilt in 131 AD, while the altar before the temple is dated to 115 AD.^[2] With the advent of Christianity in the 5th century AD, the temple was converted to a church.^[3] Uncovered by Swiss archaeologists in 1954–56, the temple was one of the most complete ancient structures in Palmyra.^[3] In 2015, the temple was demolished by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) after the capture of Palmyra during the Syrian Civil War.

Architectural style

The temple was originally a part of an extensive precinct of three
courtyards and represented a fusion of oriental and Roman architectural
styles. The temple's proportions and capitals were Roman, while the elements above the architrave and the side windows represented an oriental tradition, with its highly stylised acanthus patterns of the Corinthian orders indicating an Egyptian influence.^[3] The temple had a six-column pronaos with traces of corbels and the cella. The side walls were decorated with pilasters. An inscription in Greek and Palmyrene on the column bracket that supported the bust of temple's benefactor, Male, attested that the temple was built in 131 AD.^[4] The inscription also mentioned the visit of Emperor Hadrian
to Palmyra around 129 AD and read as follows: "The Senate and the
people have made this statue to Male Agrippa, son of Yarhai, son of
Lishamsh Raai, who, being secretary for a second time when the divine
Hadrian came here, gave oil to the citizens, and to the troops and the
strangers that came with him, taking care of their encampment. And he
built the temple, the vestibule, and the entire decoration, at his own
expense, to Baal Shamin and Durahlun".^[4]

Damage and demolition

Parts of the temple were damaged to some extent by bombings in 2013^[5]
during the Syrian Civil War. The southeastern corner of the temple wall
was damaged by looters who made two openings to steal the furniture of
the guesthouse.^[5]

In July of 2015, ISIL planted a large quantity of explosives in the temple and exploded the temple.^[6] There are conflicting reports if the demolition was Sunday August 23, 2015 or in July.^[7] The demolition was announced by the head of the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums Maamoun Abdulkarim.^[6] It occurred after ISIL was reported as stating that they did not intend to demolish Palmyra's World Heritage Site while still intending to destroy any statues it deemed "polytheistic".^[8] UNESCO described the wilful destruction of the temple as a 'war crime'.^[9]^[10]