 |
          |
 |
|
|
 Business
& Community
Services
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Roman
Shrine 67 km)
From Chtaura, drive in the direction of the Masnaa border
post, turning at the sign for Manara - a 5.5-kilometer drive.
At Manara (formerly called Hammara) you take a rough road
(four-wheel drive
|
|
 |
vehicles)
to the temple, set on a hillside. The drive takes about
fifteen minutes, or you can walk the distance in forty-five
minutes. Ask for directions in the town. Locally known as
"Kasr al-Wadi," this is the site of a Roman shrine
upon which a Christian church was later constructed. The
shrine, square in shape, consisted of an altar surrounded by
sixteen pillars and set inside a larger enclosure. In style
there is an apparent similarity with the temple of Mashnaqa
above Byblos.
When the church was built, the Greek
dedicatory inscription to Jupiter was reused as an architrave
and a Maltese-like cross was added. Note that the columns in
the church (which has been reconstructed) are thicker in the
center than at the two ends. This device, used by classical
builders to make columns appear straight, here fails in
its purpose, partly because the columns are unusually short
and squat. |
|
|
Back
to top |
 |
|
|
|
|
