Which ancient city in Syria, a World Heritage Site, features the Temple of Bel and was damaged in the civil war? The answer is Palmyra.
Palmyra was a major ancient city and oasis in central Syria, positioned along routes linking the Roman world with Mesopotamia and Arabia. Its prosperity produced a distinctive blend of local, Greek, and Roman traditions. The city’s most important sanctuary was the Temple of Bel, dedicated in AD 32 to Bel, a chief deity worshipped alongside the gods Aglibol and Yarhibol.
Palmyra’s ruins include monumental colonnades, temples, tombs, and an ancient theater. The archaeological site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 and placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013 because of the Syrian conflict. Fighting and deliberate destruction severely damaged parts of the site.
The Temple of Bel was especially affected in 2015, when the Islamic State destroyed much of the main sanctuary with explosives. Its outer walls and gateway survived in part. Palmyra is sometimes confused with Petra, Baalbek, or Jerash, but those are separate ancient cities in Jordan and Lebanon.