Subtitle: A unique Umayyad city in the Bekaa Valley, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Anjar is a remarkable archaeological site in the Bekaa Valley, about 58 km east of Beirut,
and one of Lebanon’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Unlike the country’s other great ruins,
Anjar is a rare and well-preserved example of an inland Umayyad city, dating from the early 8th century.
"Quick facts",
Anjar was founded in the early 8th century under the Umayyad caliph Walid I, laid out as a planned city on a Roman grid with palaces, mosques, baths and colonnaded avenues. Occupied only briefly, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and remains one of the best windows into early Islamic urban life.
Handsome arcades of reused Roman-style columns and arches.
The two grand streets that once divided the walled city.
Foundations of the city’s public and religious buildings.
Anjar is about 58 km east of Beirut — roughly a 1-hour drive into the Bekaa Valley. It’s usually visited on a Bekaa day tour, most often combined with Baalbek and a tasting at Château Ksara.
It’s Lebanon’s only major Umayyad-era city — a rare, well-preserved example of early Islamic town planning, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
About 58 km — roughly a 1-hour drive into the Bekaa Valley.
Anjar is typically visited alongside Baalbek and a winery stop at Château Ksara in one Bekaa day.
