Editing Baalbek (section)

===Tourism===
The Roman ruins have been the setting for the long running [[Baalbeck International Festival|Baalbek International Festival]].

Baalbek's tourism sector suffered significantly due to the [[Lebanese Civil War|Lebanese Civil war]] (1975–1990). After the civil war ended, tourism gradually saw a resurgence, including opera, orchestras.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Malaspina |first=Ann |title=Lebanon |year=2009 |pages=106}}</ref> But it was once again disrupted by Israeli bombings of Baalbek during the 2006 war.<ref name=":8" />

After the 2006 war, conservation work at Lebanon's historic sites began in October that year.<ref name="wapo">{{cite news |last=Karam |first=Zeina |author-link=Zeina Karam |date=4 October 2006 |title=Cleanup to Start at Old Sites in Lebanon |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100401294_pf.html |access-date=8 September 2015 |newspaper=The Washington Post |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The ruins at Baalbek were not directly hit by Israeli bombing but the effects of blasts during the conflict toppled a block of stones at the Roman ruins and existing cracks in the temples of Jupiter and Bacchus were feared to have widened.<ref name="wapo" /> Frederique Husseini, director-general of Lebanon's Department of Antiquities, requested $550,000 from Europeans to restore Baalbek's souk and another $900,000 for repairs to other damaged structures.<ref name="wapo" />

Starting in the early 2000s, Hezbollah organized permanent or temporary exhibitions called "Exposition of the Resistance" which commemorate what is considered to be Lebanese resistance to Israeli occupation. Spanning several hundred square meters, the exhibitions feature defused Israeli weapons, recreated scenes of war, and photos and videos of Lebanese people killed by Israel.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Saade |first=Bashir |title=Hizbullah and the politics of remembrance: writing the Lebanese nation |date=2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-107-10181-4 |series=Cambridge Middle East studies |location=New York |pages=135}}</ref>{{Sfn|Daher|2019|p=119}} Starting in 2009, Hezbollah setup an exhibition to commemorate the 2006 war.<ref name=":7" />

During the [[Syrian civil war]], the UK [[Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office|FCO]] designated areas close to the Syrian border, including Baalbek and the rest of Beqaa valley, as "red zone" – advising against all travel.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=The lost tourists of Lebanon's 'red zone' |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/features/lost-tourists-lebanons-red-zone#:~:text=Like%20many%20other%20touristic%20sites,Israel-Lebanon%20War%20in%202006. |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en}}</ref> The US State Department made a similar designation. These designations, prompted by perceived proximity to Syria and clashes between [[Bab al-Tabbaneh–Jabal Mohsen conflict|Sunnis and Alawites]], discouraged international tourism.<ref name=":2" />

During [[2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon|its 2024 invasion of Lebanon]], Israel bombed a restaurant frequented by tourists<ref name=":9" /> and damaged the historic [[Hotel Palmyra (Baalbek)|Hotel Palmyra]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1435104/the-violation-of-our-private-and-collective-memories.html |title=The violation of our private and collective memories |last=Khoury |first=Gilles |date=2024-11-11 |access-date=2024-11-12}}</ref> In November, [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|UNESCO]] gave Baalbek enhanced protection to safeguard against [[Destruction of cultural heritage during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon|damage to the archaeological site during the invasion]]; it was one of 34 areas to receive this protection.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Cultural property under enhanced protection Lebanon |url=https://www.unesco.org/en/culture/cultural-property-under-enhanced-protection-lebanon |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241231104017/https://www.unesco.org/en/culture/cultural-property-under-enhanced-protection-lebanon |archive-date=31 December 2024 |access-date=2025-01-01 |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{anchor|Temple of Jupiter|Temple of Venus|Temple of Bacchus|Temple of the Sun}}<!--linked-->