Ba'alat Gebal: The Meteorite Goddess Who Gave Healing and Knowledge of the Future
Ba’alat Gebal : The Meteorite Goddess Who Gave Healing and Knowledge of the Future Deepta Roy Chakraverti Born of fire and flashing skies, we find the ancient cult of Ba’alat Gebal in Byblos, or Gublu, or Gebal as the old name was. Byblos , lying on the Mediterranean coast, goes back to Neolithic times and signs of habitation going back about 7000 years have been found there. For the Phoenicians it was one of the most important cities. Not only that, it was a city which saw the rise and fall of many successive civilizations. It is there, in this old city, that at one time stood a temple to Ba’alat Gebal. Who is Ba’alat Gebal? Ba’alat Gebal, or the ‘Lady of Gebal’ was the patron goddess of Gebal or Byblos, as the Greeks later named it. She was identified with Hathor, with Astarte, Aphrodite and Ishtar. She gave love, beauty, as well as warrior-like strength and protection. The Pillar of Byblos (Phoenicia) depicts Ba’alat Gebal a...