Heliopolis (Roman Phoenicia)
Michael the Syrian claimed the golden idol of Heliopolitan Jupiter was still to be seen during the reign of Justin II (560s & 570s),and, up to the time of its conquest by the Muslims in 637 AD, it was renowned for its palaces, monuments, and gardens. The Arabs under Abu Ubaidah -who conquered the city after a damaging siege- renamed the city as "Baalbeck" (that in ancient Lebanese Arab language probably meaned "Bacchus ruins"). The Christians left the city, that lost importance in the next centuries (even because of the growth of nearby Damascus, that was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 AD) and in the tenth century was reduced to be just a small village.