Eshmoun can be included in a visit to Sidon, or made an excursion of its own. Visitors with a sense of curiosity will find that several hours are easily filled exploring this ancient Phoenician spa.

The History of Eshmoun
Legend has it that Eshmoun was a young man of Beirut who loved to hunt. The goddess Astarte fell in love with him, but to escape her advances he mutilated himself and died. Not to be outdone, Astrate brought him back to life in the form of a god. It is also said that the village of Qabr Shmoun, near Beirut, still preserves the memory of the young god's tomb.

As the god of healing, Eshmoun was identified with Asklepios, the Greek god of medical art. It is from belief in the healing power of Eshmoun- Asklepios and the snake that we get the sign of the medical profession that is now used worldwide. Our modern caduceus, a staff intertwined with two serpents, is derived from these symbols.

The caduceus can be seen in a gold plaque of Eshmoun and the goddess Hygeia (Health) which was found near the temple. It shows Eshmoun holding in his right hand a staff around which a serpent in entwined. There is also an early 3rd century A.D. Beirut coin depicting Eshmoun standing between two serpents.

During the Persian era, between the 6th and 4th centuries B.C. Sidon was the first Phoenicia city to be noted for the opulence of its kings, the advanced culture of its intelligentsia and the excellent reputation of its industry. The Persian kings held the kings of Sidon in great regard and granted them many rewards, especially for the Sidonian fleet's active participation on their side during their wars against Egyptians and Greeks.

The temple of Eshmoun, built by Eshmounazar II and rediscovered in this century during the excavations at Boustan esh-Sheikh, was destroyed around the middle of the fourth century B.C. Although the temple was never rebuilt, some small buildings, chapels and pools were restored. This allowed visitors, pagan as well as Christian, to attend the sanctuary. The site remained popular until the end of the third century A.D., even though it was largely in ruins and littered with debris.

For centuries before its excavation, the site of the Temple of Eshmoun was used as a quarry. Emir Fakhreddine, for example, used its massive blocks to build a bridge over the Awwali River in the 17th century. Today only the foundations of this bridge remain.

A few kilometers from the site inscriptions bearing the name of Bodashtart were found, probably incised on the occasion on the completion of an important canal system.

Although the land around the site was purchased in the mid-1940's, serious excavation work did not begin until 1963.

The most imposing ruin at Eshmoun is the temple, or temple complex (numbers 1-9 on the plan). An overall view of Eshmoun can be had by climbing the mosaic-covered Roman stairway.

The approach to the temple site is along a Roman colonnaded road. On the right is a massive capital with four carvings of bulls' head which go back to the Persian period. They were placed here at a later date in a shrine set up in the courtyard of the temple.

The oldest section is a pyramid shaped structure with a short flight of stairs on its summit and a wall to its right dating from the 6th century B.C., when Phoenician city states were under the political and cultural influence of Babylon.

The second and largest podium was built by the Sidonian King Eshmounazar in the 5th century B.C. and probably enlarged later by a King Bodashtart whose inscriptions can still be seen on one of the inner slabs of the massive retaining walls of the temple.

The site's healing waters were channeled through a canal system to the sacred basins.
Another temple was added in the 3rd century B.C. You can still see part of the original frieze representing worshippers, hunting scenes, and children's games. Near the far northwest angle of the temple is a sanctuary of Venus/Astarte, also from the Hellenistic period. Inside this small area measuring 11x10 meters, is a throne flanked by two sphinxes which is known as the "Throne of Astarte." The throne stands on a single block of stone with a cornice sculptured in the Egyptian style. A frieze, unfortunately very mutilated, depicts a hunting scene.

A later addition to the temple is a small mosaic room guarded by a now headless sphinx. An inscription dates this section to 335 A.D.

To the left of the pool stands a 22 meter-long wall with reliefs of drunken revelry and a man attempting to seize a large plumed cock. It was apparently common practice among the Greeks to sacrifice cocks to Asklepios (Eshmoun).
During the Roman and early Christian eras (64 B.C. to 330 A.D.) the site of the Temple of Eshmoun and its miraculous waters continued to serve as a place of pilgrimage. Within the Phoenician temple site the Romans added the processional stairway, basins for ablutions and a nymphaeum with pictorial mosaics, largely still intact. Worn statuettes of three nymphs stand in the niches of the fountain.

On the left side of the Roman road, opposite the temple complex, is a courtyard with the remains of mosaics depicting the Four Seasons.
To the left of the Roman courtyard are the foundations of a Byzantine period basilica, the last major period represented at Eshmoun.

The Site Today

There are no concessions or facilities at the site. However, the visit is just minutes from Sidon where the government Rest House, located near the Sea Castle, serves meals 12:00 to 4:00 pm and 7:00 to 12:00 pm.