Baalbek’s Temple of Jupiter stands at the western end of the sanctuary’s Great Court. Beyond the propylaea, the Hexagonal Court forms an open-air forecourt to the temple’s rectangular court; roofed porticoes surround it, but no roof covered the whole court. The complex preserves monumental columns and a carved swastika motif, alongside elements re-erected in modern restorations.
Baalbek’s Temple of Jupiter: Great Court and Hexagonal Court

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Key facts
- The Temple of Jupiter is Baalbek’s principal Roman temple and stands at the western end of the sanctuary’s Great Court.
- The Hexagonal Court lies between the propylaea and the temple’s rectangular court and served as a forecourt to the temple.
- The central hexagonal court was open to the sky; its surrounding porticoes were roofed, but the entire court was not covered by one roof.
- The Great Court belongs to the wider sanctuary at Roman Heliopolis and lies east of the temple, rather than at the temple’s heart.
- The complex has monumental columns and a carved swastika motif, a symbol attested in several cultures.
- Several fallen columns and architectural elements have been re-erected during modern restoration; the sources do not establish that tourism was the reason.
Sources
Baalbek: Temple of Jupiter, Hexagonal Court - Livius.orglivius.org
A visitor to the shrine of Jupiter at Baalbek would have reached the Hexagonal Court from the Propylaea. The two parts of the sanctuary are separated by a ...
The Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek in Lebanon - Rome Art Loverromeartlover.it
Hexagonal Court with evidence of "shops" or military shelters. This grand entrance leads to a court, which seems to have been an octagon of unequal sides, as ...
Temple of Jupiter (Baalbek) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The Temple of Jupiter is a colossal Roman temple in Baalbek, Lebanon. It is the largest of the Roman world after the Temple of Venus and Roma in Rome.
(PDF) The Baalbek Enigma - Academia.eduacademia.edu
... Hexagonal Court, and possibly also westward, where they may have formed a temenos or peribolos wall surrounding the Temple of Jupiter.
Baalbek Ruins, Lebanon: an extraordinary UNESCO siterachelsruminations.com
The Temple of Jupiter was torn down and replaced by a basilica, and the images of Roman gods throughout the complex were destroyed. Later the Hexagonal Court ...
Sanctuary of Jupiter Heliopolitanus, hexagonal courtmarble.nd.edu
Between the propylaeum and the rectangular court is a hexagonal court, the plan is unparalleled for a courtyard and is another sign of the originality and ...
Baalbek, Temple Courtslifeintheholyland.com
This court is four hundred and fifty feet from north to south, On the east of the quadrangle is a triple gateway, leading into the hexagonal court. This ...
Hexagonal Court of the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek ...dreamstime.com
Photo about the Hexagonal Court of the Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek in Lebanon. Image of landscape, culture, blue - 136619537.
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