shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSyria

at the heart of ancient Palmyra, in the Syrian desert

Temple of Bel

Name: Temple of Bel — on ceramic tile, by WenderVista
Brand: WenderVista

— — a courtyard the sky still remembers.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.

— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand

— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines

— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall

— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround

— a note from the studio

“The great temple of Roman Palmyra, dedicated in 32 AD on the eastern caravan road between Damascus and the Euphrates. For nineteen centuries it stood as one of the most complete sanctuaries of the ancient Near East, its tall Corinthian columns ringing a vast walled courtyard. Most of the cella was destroyed by Islamic State in August 2015. The corner column and the monumental gateway still stand against the desert sky. from the studio

from the studio

— bring it home

Temple of Bel, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?

One tile — square or rectangle.

How big?

the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand

6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb

Surface finish

A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.

How it sits

A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.

$58

Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.

— size

6 × 6 in

15 cm

— weighs

1.6 lb

solid in the hand

— surface

ceramic, hand-finished

art rests beneath a thin glossy finish

— from

Knoxville, TN

our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies

— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Temple of Bel

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.

— the place

The Temple of Bel stood at the eastern edge of Palmyra, the Aramaic and Greco-Roman caravan city of Tadmor in the Syrian desert. Dedicated on the sixth of April, 32 AD, the temple was the principal sanctuary of the Palmyrene triad: Bel, Yarhibol, and Aglibol. The cella sat inside a walled temenos roughly 205 meters on a side, ringed by porticoes of tall Corinthian columns. The site lies within the UNESCO World Heritage property of Palmyra, inscribed in 1980.

— informed by UNESCO, Wikipedia

— the stone

The temple was built of local limestone, finely jointed and carved with motifs that mixed Greco-Roman acanthus with Mesopotamian winged genii and Semitic divine processions. The cella's interior held two niches, north and south, where the cult statues of the triad were carried out for ceremony. On 30 August 2015 the cella was destroyed by Islamic State militants with explosives. The monumental entrance arch on the western wall, the corner column, and stretches of the temenos wall survived the blast.

— informed by ASOR Cultural Heritage

— the year

Palmyra prospered under Roman rule as a caravan hub linking Antioch, Damascus, and the Euphrates trade routes to the Persian Gulf and India. Queen Zenobia ruled briefly from the city in the 270s AD before her revolt was crushed by the emperor Aurelian. The Temple of Bel was converted to a Christian church in the Byzantine period and later to a mosque under the Umayyads. The Syrian Department of Antiquities, supported by UNESCO and partner institutions, leads the long work of survey and stabilization.

— informed by DGAM Syria

— where

Syria · Tadmur, Homs Governorate

— within

Palmyra Archaeological Site

— elevation

405 m · 1,329 ft

— position

34.5453° N · 38.2741° E

— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.

1 km W

Palmyra Colonnade

Roman avenue

2 km W

Valley of the Tombs

necropolis

1 km N

Tadmur

modern town

Temple of Bel

Palmyra Colonnade

Valley of the Tombs

Tadmur

— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Temple of Bel — and about bringing the piece home.

— about the place

The Temple of Bel was dedicated on the sixth of April, 32 AD, in the Roman period of the caravan city of Palmyra, on the desert road between Damascus and the Euphrates.

Bel was the chief deity of Palmyra, identified with the Babylonian Bel-Marduk and worshipped alongside the sun god Yarhibol and the moon god Aglibol as the Palmyrene triad.

On 30 August 2015 the cella of the temple was destroyed by Islamic State militants with explosives. The monumental gateway, the corner column, and portions of the temenos wall survived the blast.

Yes. The Site of Palmyra was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1980 and placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013 due to the Syrian conflict.

The temenos was a walled enclosure roughly 205 meters on a side, surrounded by tall Corinthian porticoes. The cella stood near the center, oriented north to south, with two niches inside for the cult statues.

Access depends on Syrian security conditions and is not generally open to international tourism. The Syrian Department of Antiquities and UNESCO continue assessment and protection work at the site.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful gift for customers with Syrian roots and for archaeologists who knew Palmyra before 2015. A Small with a handwritten note from the studio holds the place.

The warm sandstone and indigo read well with Moroccan-modern, Mediterranean Maximalist, and quiet Levantine rooms. The piece sits naturally above a carved wood console or a plaster wall.

Yes. The piece pairs with the warm Mediterranean modern look now common in Levantine and Andalusian rooms: lime-washed plaster, dark woods, brass, and a single grounded landmark on the wall.

A single Large covers most consoles. Above a standard sofa we recommend a four-tile Mural; above a long sectional, a nine-tile Mural anchors the wall.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both resist scratches and steam, and either works for a backsplash, a powder room, or a shower wall.

A soft microfibre cloth with water lifts dust and fingerprints. Avoid abrasive pads and solvent cleaners; the colour lives in the ceramic surface, not on top of it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is made in our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing and no third-party catalog behind the work.

— if this one stayed with you