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MM212 Says: Seen in the attached photo are the remains of the small shops that once lined the cardo maximus of Aanjar. In its short existence, the town benefited from its location on an intersection between the short trade route from Damascus to the coastal towns of Lebanon, and the...
MM212 Says: Located just east of the cardo maximus, near the entrance to the site, are the remains of the baths (hammam) of Aanjar. Two mosaic floors have survived fairly well, at least in fragments. The ovens for heating the water can also be seen along with some discs that supported...
MM212 Says: The Small Palace was located in the north-east quadrant, at the corner where the cardo and decumanus intersected. It is thought to have served as the private quarters of the rulers, whereas the Great Palace served as the public quarters. Unlike the Great Palace, only the...
MM212 Says: The north-west and south-west quadrants of the city of Anjar consisted mainly of residential dwellings. Only the foundation of these modest buildings can be seen beyond the cardo and decumanus (see attached photo).
MM212 Says: The decumanus maximus, the smaller avenue, runs east-west through the city and crosses the cardo maximus at the point where the Tetrapylon is erected. A few of the arched porticoes along the decumanus are still standing upright. The small palace and the mosque are situated...
MM212 Says: The layout of this Omayyad city is based on a Graeco-Roman plan, divided into four quarters with two main avenues running through it. The cardo maximus, the north-south thoroughfare, was the main one and it intersected the decumanus maximus in the middle where the Tetrapylon...
The Mosque on Mount Saint Elias
MM212 Says: This Mosque, built on a hill called Mount Saint Elias (Jabal Mar Elias), is visible from around Aanjar. It frequently offers a postcard picture because of its hilltop situation against the snow-covered mountains in the background. What's also striking is that it is a mosque...
MM212 Says: Remains of the only mosque in the ancient city of Aanjar are located just north of the Great Palace. Only the foundation can be traced (seen in the foreground of the photo).
MM212 Says: The Great Palace is the highest remaining structure in Aanjar, albeit in ruins. Beautiful Byzantine-style arches on Roman-style Corinthian columns (reused from nearby Roman ruins) define where the central courtyard of this Omayyad palace once stood. Elegant Byzantine motifs...
MM212 Says: The four Corinthian columns of the Tetrapylon mark the centre of Aanjar. They were erected at the point of intersection of the cardo maximus with the decumanus maximus, the two avenues dividing the city into four quarters. Much like other Corinthian columns in Aanjar, these...
iwys Says: The main city baths are probably the first part of Aaanjar you will wnder around as they are just inside the main entrance, to the left, shaded by trees. They are very similar in style to Roman baths, having three main sections: a changing area, a bathing area and a sitting...
iwys Says: The decumanus maximus is the main east-west road through the city, and intersects with the cardo maximus at the tetrapylon. It is a bit more neglected and overgrown than the cardo maximus.
iwys Says: A tetrapylon is an arrangement of four groups of four columns, marking the intersection of the two main roads, the cardo maximus and the decumanus, at the centre of classical cities. The one at Aanjar is actually quite similar to the one at Palmyra., but only one of the four...
iwys Says: The cardo maximus was the main street of Aanjar. It was not dissimilar from the high street of a modern town, and was lined with hundreds of small shops. You can still see these lining both sides of the street, and as I wandered in each one, I wondered what they once sold. I...
iwys Says: The great palace is the most impressive building at Aaanjar. It was built by Walid I, the sixth Umayyad caliph, early in the eighth century. One of the walls is still largely intact as well as some of the columns and arches, so it is easy to envisage how beautiful it must...
The restaurant is next to water cascades, so you can hear the waterfall as you eat and it gives you a sense of coolness and freshness. It is a family restaurant, so expect children to be playing around. They have they own playground, though. The food is very good, they have all the traditionnal mezzé dishes such as hommos, foul, tajin, grape leaves, etc, but also trouts, kebab choices and frog legs, if you like this delicacy. The service, as always in Lebanese restaurants, is fast and efficient.
Favorite Dish: Trouts are a specialty in the region, they are worth trying for basic healthy food.
Written Jun 6, 2006
Address: Al Nabeh Street
Phone: 08 620 811 or 03 760 029
Helpfulness
To go to Aanjar you take a minibus from Cola station to Chtaura, where you change to a service taxi. To go to Cola station I paid 1000 LL for the service taxi (I said alf (1000) as I stopped it but thought the driver was going to say 2000 LL, which he didn't). The minibus from Cola to Chtaura was 3000 LL and it took about 1 hour. The service taxi to Aanjar from Chtaura was 2000 LL (and that was what everyone had told me). Leaving Aanjar the man at the ruins said I should pay only 1000 LL for the service to go back to Chtaura. To get the service back I walked down to the main road and there I just waited a few minutes before a service came. Back in Chtaura the bus was just about to leave for Beirut.
Back in Beirut I wanted to go to Hamra. From Cola there are three city buses going there, number 1, 3 and 12. The city bus cost 500 LL.
Written Jul 6, 2005
Helpfulness
When visiting 'Anjar , and any archaeological site for that matter, it is not ethical to remove anything from the site.
When we were at 'Anjar one of the party picked up a piece of broken pottery , a potsherd, and was holding when when one of the site guides, not our guide, was giving a short lecture. He noticed she was holding it and started shouting at her, saying it was forbidden to take anything from the site, because at some future date archaeologists might try to put things together.
The poor girl was mortified.
Tour guides should warn their clients of this beforehand.
Written Aug 4, 2005
MM212 Says: About 3km south of Aanjar lies the small village of Majdal Aanjar with a small acropolis containing a Roman temple in partial ruins. The temple, which was built on a hill towering above the village, is thought to occupy the site that had been used for worship since before...
iwys Says: There is a lone column, with a Greco-Roman inscription on it. It used to stand at the entrance of a Byzantine church, but was later re-erected here. The inscription states that criminals and other undesirables are forbidden to enter here.
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The Lost Umayyad City of Aanjar
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Build your own `Anjar page
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