2-359-531 - Vivienne Sharp/Heritage Images

Courtyard of the Temple of Bel, Palmyra, Syria. Situated in an oasis in the Syrian desert halfway between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates, Palmyra grew up as an important caravan town on the old Silk Road. The city became part of the Roman Empire during the reign of Tiberius in the first half of the 1st century AD. The Temple of Bel is thought to date from this time although the mound upon which it stands is thought to have been a site of worship since the 2nd millennium BC.