A Web Photo Essay of Lebanon and Syria by Ken Krayeske
Baalbek's ancient Roman temple of Jupiter
The never-completed Roman temple of Jupiter in Baalbek, Lebanon.

Baalbek is as old as human history itself. Based on the news reports I've read, Baalbek is pretty much abandoned right now. Despite being located in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, the Israeli Air Force has bombed it repeatedly, because it was a Hezbollah stronghold.

When Liz and I visited, Hezbollah flags flew everywhere, but we felt no fear.

The center of Baalbek. Images of Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah flank the green and yellow Hezbollah flag in a display in the center of Baalbek, maybe 400 yards from the famous Roman ruins. Photo by Ken Krayeske.

Nasrallah poster in central Baalbek. Images of Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah flank the green and yellow Hezbollah flag in a display in the center of Baalbek, maybe 400 yards from the famous Roman ruins. Photo by Ken Krayeske.

Israel's air offensive targeted Baalbek because of Hezbollah's presence there. News accounts during the 34-day war documented the significant damage to Baalbek's infrastructure. One report in the New York Times described how bombs shook the roman ruins and added new cracks to the temple of Bacchus.

Once again, when I read that story, I wondered how people I met fared in the attack.
Boys hanging out in front of the Christian church in Baalbek. These three boys sat outside the Christian church in Baalbek, which is the town center. They tried to talk English with us as best they could. They showed us where to enter the church. I am quite certain they are no longer in Baalbek. Photo by Ken Krayeske.

Considering the amount of media attention given to the Islamic nature of the Middle East, it helps to walk into a Greek Orthodox church in the middle of an Arabic community. Inside St. George's Greek Orthodox Church. This Greek Orthodox Church sits in the center of Baalbek, where the IDF has raided a hospital and other edifices.

The religions exist practically side by side, as from a spot on the main street in Baalbek, one can see the Christian church and the minarets from this mosque.

Minarets at the Shrine of the Daughter of the Imam Hussein. Walking towards the mosque, on the street, we passed more Hezbollah flags. Hezbollah means "Party of God."

In front of the mosque, a police checkpoint sat there. The Lebanese military is not as strong as Hezbollah, as this recent war demonstrated, and the Lebanese government has said it will not try to disarm Hezbollah.

Police checkpoint outside the shrine. The yellow sign to the right says in English that this is the shrine of Sayeeda Khawla, the Daughter of Imam Hussein. Photos by Ken Krayeske.

Newsweek magazine recently published a photo essay about Hezbollah. It featured one photo of a Hezbollah boy scouts' camp site. Outside of a tent, some scouts placed small rocks in the shape of a Star of David like the Israeli flag, so anyone entering thetent had to step on it.

Another photo documented the inside of the shrine. Liz and I were a bit nervous before entering into this mosque. But the men at the gate welcomed us. So long as Liz put on a skirt and a head scarf, we were fine.

The door to the Shrine. The Newsweek photo essay labeled this mosque a Hezbollah project, and the language made it seem scary somehow.

Inside the mirrored mosque. A woman in the shrine gave both Liz and I cookies. How bad could they be?

Architectural detail of the mosque. While the inside of the mosque seems more like a chapel in Las Vegas than a holy site of Islam, I found nothing fearful about it. Just an opportunity for an interesting self-portrait.

Self-portrait inside the mosque.

Coming soon: A Short History of Hezbollah

8/04/06

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Dispatches from Damascus