The Temple of Baalat Gebal — dedicated to the Lady of Byblos, the city's patron goddess — is one of the oldest continuously used sacred sites in the ancient world, with origins in the Neolithic period and a final active phase that lasted into the Roman era. The temple was reconstructed and expanded by successive rulers over thousands of years, and the current visible remains represent multiple phases of construction.
The site's significance lies partly in its role as a diplomatic centre: Egyptian pharaohs maintained relations with Byblos through gifts to this temple, and the exchange of cedar for Egyptian luxury goods was partly administered through religious channels. The goddess Baalat Gebal was considered the divine guarantor of Byblos's commercial success, and her temple was correspondingly wealthy. The ruins today are less visually dramatic than the Castle or the Obelisk Temple, but understanding the temple's role in ancient Mediterranean trade networks makes the site considerably more interesting.