Qasr el Banat, Lebanon
Qasr el Banat is an ancient temple situated east of Chlifa in the Baalbek District of the Beqaa Governorate in the city of Qsarnaba.
History
It is believed the site was called the "Castle of Virgins" and was the residence of virgins in Roman times.By the middle of the 2nd century, the Romans had built many small temples and other sanctuaries in the vicinity of the temple district of Heliopolis, today's Baalbek, on the edge of the Bekaa. They were pilgrimage destinations for the inhabitants of the big cities on the coast. One of the Roman processional streets, partly carved out of the rock, led from here directly to the mountain temples of Hosn Niha. One of the most famous is the one in the village of Qsarnaba, called now "Qasr El Banaat".
George F. Taylor classified Qasr el Banat among a group of ancient Roman Temples of the Beqaa Valley. It is suggested to date to Ancient Roman, but it is possible that it was originally built, as a very small temple, during Ancient Greek eras or earlier. The temple is located on a rocky plateau, accessible by a climb up a hill at an altitude of. The top of the hill is covered in various platforms, cisterns, tanks and steps that have been carved out of solid bedrock. Within the remains is a small antae temple, constructed of large square blocks that was used as a fortress in later times. Some sections remain intact built up two or three layers high. A basilica from a later period was built alongside the temple.
There are two circular structures located around southeast of the temple that are thought to have been examples of the high places referred to in the Bible.