Temple of Bel
| معبد بل | |
The Temple of Bel in 2010
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 Shown within Syria
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| Location | Palmyra, Syria |
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| Coordinates | 34°32′49″N 38°16′26″E / 34.547°N 38.274°E |
| Type | Temple |
| Height | 15 metres (49 ft) |
| History | |
| Material | Stone |
| Founded | 32 AD |
| Cultures | Palmyrene |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Largely destroyed, some remains survive |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Inaccessible (in a war zone) |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iv |
| Designated | 1980 (4th session) |
| Part of | Site of Palmyra |
| Reference no. | 23 |
| State Party | Syria |
| Region | Arab States |
| Endangered | 2013–present |
The Temple of Bel (Arabic: معبد بل), sometimes also referred to as the "Temple of Baal", was an ancient temple located in Palmyra, Syria. The temple, consecrated to the Mesopotamian god Bel, worshipped at Palmyra in triad with the lunar god Aglibol and the sun god Yarhibol, formed the center of religious life in Palmyra and was dedicated in 32 AD. Its ruins were considered among the best preserved at Palmyra, until they were further destroyed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in August 2015. The arched main entrance into the temple is still intact.
The temple was built on a tell with stratification indicating human occupation that goes back to the third millennium BC. The area was occupied in pre-Roman periods with a former temple that is usually referred to as "the first temple of Bel" and "the Hellenistic temple". The walls of the temenos and propylaea were constructed in the late first and the first half of the second century AD. The names of three Greeks who worked on the construction of the temple of Bel are known through inscriptions, including a probably Greek architect named Alexandras (Greek: Αλεξάνδρας). However, many Palmyrenes adopted Greco-Roman names and native citizens with the name Alexander are attested in the city.
The Temple of Bel was converted into a Christian church during the Byzantine Era. Parts of the structure were modified by Arabs in 1132 which preserved the structure and converted the Temple into a mosque. It remained in use as a mosque until the 1920s. Most of the Corinthian columns of the inner colonnades still showed pedestals where the statues of the benefactors stood. The temple was aligned along the eastern end of the Great Colonnade at Palmyra.
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