ANCIENT CITY OF BYBLOS

Before entering the ancient site, steps lead to the top of the western towers of the Château des Croisés, from where you can admire the magnificent landscape and observe the layout of the ruins: before exploring the ancient site, it is therefore recommended to reach the top of the towers, in order to have an overall view and to distinguish in advance the different monuments and districts. In passing, it will be an opportunity to read the explanatory panels in the citadel, in order to understand the complex chronology of this archaeological site where the different strata range from Neolithic to Crusades. Then, as you leave the castle, turn right, towards the northeast. We notice some columns and remains of the pavement of the Roman road, then the Roman nymphaeum, a monumental fountain decorated with niches. Then we walk along the northeast ditches of the castle to pass through the city gate, carved through the ramparts dating back to the 3rd millennium. Just opposite, it is possible to observe the foundations of the Persian fortress (550-300 BC), on which are statues of Achaemenid lions. Their size proves the importance of the fortifications erected by the "king of kings". The L-shaped temple, consisting of two buildings and a courtyard containing a sanctuary, is then joined. Built in 2600 BC at the foot of a sacred pond, this temple was dedicated to a deity that archaeologists have not yet identified. The Amorrites burned it down during the conquest of the city and then partially rebuilt it.