Baalbec

or Balbec, (bal'bek.) [The Helio polis of the Greeks, and supposed to be the Baal-Ath built by Solomon. ] A ruined town of Syria, whose extensive and magnificent ruins attest its ancient importance and wealth. It is situate on the lowest declivity of Anti Lib an us, 43 m. N.W. of Damascus; Lat. 34° 1' 30" N., Lon. 36° 11′ E. The date of its origin is lost in remote antiquity, and little is known of its history. It was sacked by the Moslems, A. D. 748, and finally pillaged by Timour Beg in 1400. Pop. 2,000. [s. 66]