Aanjar · Bekaa Valley · Lebanon

Umayyad City Ruins

ruinsUmayyadancient citygoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: morning, afternoon

remote, historic, contemplative

A local would say...

The only Umayyad city ever built from scratch — Arab Islamic urban planning frozen in stone before the empire collapsed.

The Middle East's only intact Umayyad fortified city, Aanjar was built in the early 8th century by Caliph Walid I as a merchant city along the Bekaa Valley trade route. Its well-preserved colonnaded main street, palace complex and 1500 shops reveal the sophisticated urban planning of early Islamic civilization.