Hosn Suleiman


Hosn Suleiman, a Syrian village, is found on the slope of the Al-Nabi Saleh mountain at an altitude 950 m, at a distance of 20 km from Duraykish and 56 km from Tartous.

History

Hosn Suleiman was known as Baetocaese which was famous for its slave market. The town had a temple of Zeus and it is hinted from the naming that it bears semitic roots derived from Zeus's name. Also known as Baal temple, ascribed to the god Baal. Still there is a village nearby called Betalous. Baal was called also Baalous, and a Roman emperor existed as Elagabalus.
The location was in close relation with Arwad kingdom in the times of Phoenicians, and was a source of wood for the shipping industry. It was an important site during the Hellenic and Roman periods. Syria was then part of the Seleucid Empire.
The current naming is derived from King Solomon. Visitors can see the huge stones of the temple, with inscriptions in ancient Greek and Latin.