The ruins of Anjar

The early-Islam remnants at Anjar (The Flowing Spring) represent what’s left of an unusually large, sophisticated caravanserie along the incense/spice/silk road that passed through the Bekaa Valley. 

Built under the Umayyad Caliphate around 650 A.D., it was a place for road-weary merchants to recharge, take a bath, water their animals, buy provisions and catch a few z’s without fear of being robbed. All four of its gates were locked from the inside. Those deemed unsavory were kept out, and, in some cases, pelted with stones from atop the fortification's walls. A courthouse was here to settle disputes, and the castle's presiding Islamic steward kept a harem on the premises. Naturally.

Its sewage/drainage system still exists, and if you’re staring at your Twitter timeline, you could easily fall into it. Archaeologists say 600 shops were here. A handful have been reconstructed (badly, some contend), but the 1975-90 civil war got in the way, interrupting further work.

When I arrived there were a few random dudes standing around the gate. They inquired about my nationality. Apparently satisfied, they accepted $3USD and waved me through.

Inside the old settlement, a surveyor and his assistant, above, were taking measurements.

The small city had a short life. Caliph Ibrahim’s rival and successor, Marwan ben Mohammed, largely destroyed it in 740. This is what’s left.

It wasn't discovered by the outside world until shortly after World War II. Residents of the east-central Bekaa Valley, who no doubt had picnicked and clambered about on its stones, perhaps didn't think it worth mentioning.