The collector’s item gifted by the Alyafi IP Group in 2009 was “Ba‘alat” la Dame de Byblos- ‘Lady of Byblos’,
Baalat, or Ba’alat, is a title, referring to “Mistress”, “Lady”, or “Queen”. During the Phoenician Era, she was considered the main deity of the city of Byblos, known today in Arabic language as Jbeil. A city on the coast of Lebanon, a few kilometers north of Beirut.
Many statues in many different forms, of the Phoenician goddess, Baalat were left as votive offerings in sanctuaries and shrines as prayers for good harvest, for children, and for protection and tranquility in the home.
Ba‘alat la Dame de Byblos was distinguished in iconography from other Baalats in different regions in the Phoenician lands by two, tall, upright feathers in her headdress.
The temple of Ba‘alat Jbeil in Byblos was built around 2700 BC.
