Sonia Halliday

Decorative touches. Herod’s Temple was not only imposing in size but also sumptuous in its details, and compared favorably with the grandest of classical buildings. The photo shows a remnant of the peristyle (a courtyard surrounded by columns) from the temple of Bel at Palmyra, Syria. Rows of columns, supporting a roofed portico, also surrounded the Temple Mount courtyard.