The Temple of the Sun at Baalbec

Art Historical Context

Step into the grandeur of ancient Rome through Félix Bonfils's *The Temple of the Sun at Baalbec*ca. 1870), an albumen silver print captures the soaring columns and weathered ruins of this monumental site in modern-day Lebanon. Bonfils, a pioneering photographer based in Beirut, documented the Middle East's architectural wonders during the late 19th century, distant spectacles to eager Western audiences amid the era's fascination with Orientalism and biblical archaeology. Baalbec, known anciently as Heliopolis, some of the largest Roman temples ever built, and this image highlights the Temple ...