Talk:Belat temple

Belat = Blat, Lebanon?
Hi,, thanks for this interesting article. I'm wondering if the Belat referred to here could be present day Blat (بلاط), Lebanon. Kitchener describes it as being within sight of "Kh. Taiyebeh," which is maybe Taybeh (Marjaayoun). Based upon google maps, they seem to be pretty close. Following the directions from on a map also puts us pretty close to Blat, and there is a description of a temple of Blat, though I'm not sure if they match. Eddie891 Talk Work 14:06, 25 February 2023 (UTC)


 * Our article Blat, Marjayoun, suggests that it was initially named "Balat", very close to Belat. Eddie891 Talk Work 14:09, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Hi I just double checked on File:VanDeVeldeMap3.jpg. There are two places called Belat / Blat. One north of Marjaayoun (our Blat article) and one here. So they are definitely two different places. Onceinawhile (talk) 14:29, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * It is also shown on the middle right of File:Survey of Western Palestine 1880.03.jpg as Tell Belat, 2020. The Survey of Western Palestine did not go as far north as Marjaayoun. Onceinawhile (talk) 14:33, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * The Blat in William McClure Thomson that you linked to is definitely the same topic of this article: “… Blat, which Mr. Van de Velde visited with so much tribulation of soul and travail of body. It is one hour and a half west of Cosa, and occupies the most conspicuous position in all this region. The architects of this temple were lovers of the sublime, and selected a spot on which to build and pray which commands prospects in all directions of great beauty. It was evidently a place of importance, but its history is utterly lost. The columns of the temple are visible to a vast distance, and all around are masses of ruins in wild confusion, and overgrown with thorns and briers.” Onceinawhile (talk) 14:37, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks for looking into this Eddie891 Talk Work 14:51, 25 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Thank you for bringing this up. I have done some more research and can see that, in addition to Blat, Marjayoun, there are other places in the region with the same Arabic name بلاط: our articles Ballat, Blat, Byblos District, pl:Balat (Aleppo) and Balat, Egypt. Also see Balata. One derivation for the word is a loanword from Latin equivalent to "palace" (palace -> palat… -> balat…). Onceinawhile (talk) 14:54, 25 February 2023 (UTC)