Husn Suleiman (Baetocaece)
حصن سليمان (بيتوكيكي)
A huge Roman sanctuary in the Tartus mountains near Dreikish, dedicated to Zeus of Baetocaece, with walls of gigantic blocks and carved gates.
High in the coastal mountains near Dreikish in Tartus governorate stands Husn Suleiman — not a fortress but a huge Roman sanctuary, ancient Baetocaece, dedicated to Zeus.
The sacred site predates Rome: inscriptions record privileges granted by the Seleucid kings and later confirmed by Roman emperors. Its enclosure wall is built of gigantic stone blocks — so huge that popular legend credits King Solomon and his jinn — pierced by four monumental gates carved with ornament, inscriptions and eagles. At the centre stand remains of the main temple.
It lies at about 950 metres on the slope of Mount al-Nabi Saleh, some 20 km from Dreikish and 56 km from Tartus. In Phoenician times it was tied to the kingdom of Arwad and supplied timber for shipbuilding, and under the Hellenistic and Roman periods the temple owned large parts of the surrounding countryside.
Most of what survives dates from the 2nd century AD. Set among mountains, forests and villages with a mild summer climate, it is one of Syria's most astonishing yet little-known sites.
Note: photos may not reflect the site's current condition.
For the visitor
Location: 34.9313, 36.2453 · Open on the map
Photos
Photos: User:LorisRomito — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA) · Frank Kidner — via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA)
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