Hermel Pyramid

The Qamouaa el-Hermel stands alone on the open plain south of Hermel, a square stone tower about twenty-seven metres high topped by a pyramid, with hunting scenes carved on its faces: boars, wolves, bears, spears and nets. It is generally dated to the first or second century BC and is usually described as a funerary monument for a local ruler, but no burial has been found and no inscription survives, so the attribution remains inference rather than fact.

What you actually see

• The pyramid top - the stone spire capping the square tower.
• The hunting reliefs - carved scenes of boars, wolves and hunting gear on the faces.
• The isolation - the monument standing alone on open plain with nothing around it.
• The masonry - large dressed blocks in six courses below the pyramid.

When to go

April to June and September to November are comfortable; the northern Bekaa is severely hot in summer and cold in winter. Morning and evening light picks out the carving best. Wind on the plain is constant.

Honest expectations

Who it was built for is genuinely unknown; guides often state a name as fact. There is no shade, no facilities and no interpretation on site. The visit takes twenty minutes.

Nearby

The Assi river is nearby, and Baalbek is south down the Bekaa.