Make an Unlikely 'Royal Visit' to The 10,000-Year-Old Baalbek!
Published April 22nd, 2021 - 09:34 GMT
Ancient Roman temple of Bacchus (Shutterstock)
Highlights
Although the Emperor spent just a few waking hours in the ‘City of the Sun’
In 1898, an unlikely royal visit was made to the 10,000-year-old city of Baalbek, a jewel in the crown of Lebanon’s archeological history.
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As part of his grand tour of the Orient — an expedition that involved 100 coaches, 230 tents and 10 guides — the last emperor of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and his wife Augusta Victoria were awestruck by Baalbek’s famed Roman ruins. Although the Emperor spent just a few waking hours in the ‘City of the Sun’ — his last stop before heading back to Potsdam via the Port of Beirut – he was so captivated by what he witnessed that he decided to commission German expeditions to excavate the site.