A recently identified Greek inscription inside the Great Mosque of Homs in Syria is drawing new attention to the question of where the Temple of the Sun, dedicated to the Roman-era god Elagabalus, once stood.
In a recent study published in the journal Shedet, Maamoun Saleh Abdulkarim of the University of Sharjah suggests that the inscription adds weight to the idea that the mosque was built on the site of the ancient temple in Emesa, the Roman name for present-day Homs. The exact location of the temple has remained uncertain for almost a hundred years.
A Historical Puzzle
Emesa was a significant religious and political center located in the Roman East. The city was home to the cult of the solar deity Elagabalus. In 218 CE, the high priest of this cult became Roman emperor and adopted the god’s name. “The Roman identity of Emesa was fundamentally based on paganism,” Abdulkarim noted.
Scholars have debated the location of the Temple of Elagabalus for many years. Some researchers think it stood on the mound now linked to the Citadel of Homs. Others suggest that builders constructed the Great Mosque of Homs over the earlier temple. Historical accounts indicate that builders also constructed the mosque over the ruins of a church dedicated to St. John the Baptist, reflecting a sequence of religious changes from pagan temple to church to mosque. However, until recently, there has been no definitive archaeological evidence directly linking the mosque site to the Roman temple.
The Inscription
The Greek inscription appears on the granite base of a column inside the Great Mosque. Restoration work uncovered the inscription in 2016, but scholars did not fully examine it in academic studies until now. The inscription features formal, symmetrical lines and a heroic, militaristic tone that describes a warrior-king and compares him to the wind, the storm, and the leopard.
Abdulkarim notes that the Greek inscription has grammar typical of the Roman period in Syria, when most people spoke Aramaic. Although the text does not mention the Temple of the Sun directly, its style and context are consistent with Roman-era material from Emesa and may relate to the city’s pagan past.
Interpreting the Evidence
“This Greek inscription, even if it is epic in nature and not very detailed, provides clues to the connection between this mosque and a pagan building, perhaps the Temple of the Sun, especially since researchers have long proposed this connection. Thus, every inscription from the Roman era that is uncovered in this mosque will add more knowledge to our understanding of the subject,” Abdulkarim noted.
While the study does not directly prove the temple was located beneath the mosque, it does offer new material evidence for the ongoing scholarly debate. Although the new inscription may support one view, the temple’s exact location remains uncertain.
Layers of Religious Transformation
Emesa provides a rare example of religious change over time, from paganism to Christianity and then to Islam. Historical sources indicate that these communities often coexisted for long periods. The study offers new evidence for historians and archaeologists seeking to understand how cities preserve, reuse, and reinterpret sacred sites over centuries of political and religious change.
“My research helps clarify many longstanding questions and offers new insights into the religious transformation of the site across successive historical periods. It demonstrates that the site later became a church and was subsequently transformed into a mosque after the Islamic conquest, an evolution also documented in the writings of Arab historians,” Abdulkarim concluded.
Austin Burgess is a writer and researcher with a background in sales, marketing, and data analytics. He holds a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and a Data Analytics certification. His work combines analytical training with a focus on emerging science, aerospace, and astronomical research.