Nahle, Lebanon

Nahlé
نحله
	Shown within Lebanon
Location	6 kilometres (3.7 mi) northeast of Baalbek
Region	Baalbek
Coordinates	34°03′30″N 36°17′58″E / 34.05833°N 36.29944°E
History
Cultures	Roman
Site notes
Condition	Ruins
Public access	Yes

Nahlé
Nahlé
Village
Country	Lebanon
Governorate	Baalbek-Hermel
District	Baalbek

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.

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.

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.

During the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, UNESCO gave enhanced protection to 34 cultural sites in Lebanon including the temple at Nahlé to safeguard it from damage.^[6]^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b George Taylor (1967). The Roman temples of Lebanon: a pictorial guide. Dar el-Machreq Publishers. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
^ Le Strange, Guy (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems. London: A. P. Watt. p. 514. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 145
^ 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.
^ Nahle Roman temple
^ "Cultural property under enhanced protection Lebanon". Archived from the original on 2024-12-31. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
^ "Lebanon: 34 cultural properties placed under enhanced protection". Archived from the original on 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2025-01-01.

Bibliography

Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.

External links

[Taylor1967-1] George Taylor (1967). The Roman temples of Lebanon: a pictorial guide. Dar el-Machreq Publishers. Retrieved 27 October 2012.

[Le_Strange_1890-2] 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

[Keel1997-4] 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

[6] "Cultural property under enhanced protection Lebanon". Archived from the original on 2024-12-31. Retrieved 2025-01-01.

[7] "Lebanon: 34 cultural properties placed under enhanced protection". Archived from the original on 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2025-01-01.

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Baalbek District, Baalbek-Hermel Governorate
Capital: Baalbek
Towns and villages	Ain Ainata Arsal Baalbek Barka Bednayel Bechwat Beit Chama - Aaqidiyeh Brital Btadhi Bodai Chaat Chlifa Chmestar - Gharbi Baalbeck Deir el Ahmar Douriss Fakiha - Jdeydeh Fleweh Hadath Baalbek Hallanieh Haouch Barada Haouch Er Rafqa Haouch Snaid Haouch Tall Safiyeh Harbata Hizzine Hlabta Iaat Jabbouleh Janta Jebaa Jdeide Kasarnaba Kfar Dane Khodr Khraibeh Kneisseh Laat Labweh Majdloun Mikna Nabi Chit Nabi Othman Qaa Qarha Ram - Jbenniyeh Ras Baalbek Ras el Hadis Saayde Seriine el Fawka Seriine el Tahta Talya Taraya Taybeh Temnin el Fawka Temnine Et Tahta Tfail Wadi Faara Yammouneh Younine
Notable landmarks	Ard Tlaili Jabal es Saaïdé

Roman archaeological sites in Lebanon
Roman Berytus (actual Beirut)	Berytus ¹ Roman Forum of Berytus Berytus Roman Baths Cisterns of Berytus Baths Berytus Cardo Decumanus Berytus Colonnaded street Byzantine mosaics Roman hippodrome of Berytus Roman Law school of Berytus
Roman Phoenicia (actual Lebanon)	Heliopolis Temple of Bacchus Temple of Jupiter (Baalbek) Temples of Mount Hermon Temples of the Beqaa Valley Aaqbe temple Afqa Ain Aata temple Ain Harcha roman temple Amioun Monastery Arca Caesarea Augusti Pagus Bakka temple Batroumine Bziza temple Canalizations of Zenobia Dakoue temple Mansourieh Roman aqueduct Hebbariye temple Iaat column Kafr Zabad temples Khirbet El-Knese roman temples Labweh Roman temple Libbaya roman temple Monastery of Qozhaya Monastery of Saint Maron Nebi Safa temple Niha Hosn Niha Qalaat Faqra Qal'at Bustra temple Castra Chbib Castra El Banat Saraain El Faouqa Schleem roman temple Colonia Aurelia Pia "Sidon" Temnin el-Foka nymphaeum Tripolis in Phoenicia Tyrus ¹ Tyre Necropolis Roman temple to Venus in Yammoune
Related	Roman Lebanon Phoenice (Roman province) Palaestina Secunda Phoenice Libanensis Stone of the Pregnant Woman Ulpianus Marcus Valerius Probus Eudokia of Heliopolis Saint Barbara of Heliopolis Coele-Syria List of Christian cathedrals in Lebanon Christianity in Lebanon Catholic Church in Lebanon Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral 2nd century in Lebanon 3rd century in Lebanon 4th century in Lebanon 5th century in Lebanon 6th century in Lebanon 551 Beirut earthquake
¹ UNESCO World Heritage Sites ² Proposed Category:Roman sites in Lebanon