About 30 km east of Tartous; Husn Suleiman (Suleiman's Castle) is one of the most extraordinary set of ruins in Syria. The remains are exceptional for the juxtaposition of the gigantic and the aesthetic: the cyclopean scale of the component blocks set against the tranquility and beauty of the setting in one of the remote stretches of the Jebel Ansariye.

The present remains are Roman. The Roman construction probably began in the first century AD but the greater part of the effort to monumentalize the cult center took place at the end of the second century, under Severan rules.

A cult center has existed here for millennia. The first temple was probably constructed under Persian domination when the area known now as the Meshta was settled. The present remains are Roman but occupy the site of a Semitic/Canaanite cult to the local version of Baal whose worship was later merged with the Greek equivalent, Zeus, under the title Zeus Baotocecian. Astarte was associated with the center, maybe because of the spring flowing through the site.

The Roman construction probably began in the 1st century AD but the greater part of the effort to monumentalize the cult center took place at the end of the 2nd century , under Severan rule.

The enclosure consists of a large compound open to the sky with a small central cella to house the altar. The same plan is employed in the Bel Temple of Palmyra. There are four gates centrally placed in each face of the outer wall. The propylaeum (Latin name for what comes before any gateway; the name is based on the original Propylaea that serves as the entrance to the Acropolis) in front of the north gateway is the most elaborate with porticos of eight columns on each side of the triple entrance doorway. The outer portico was adorned with two niches, two side entrances and a Syrian styled relieving arch over the elaborate lintel.

On the eastern doorway, there's a Greek inscription dated 171 which records the dedication of the complex by the local people. At the four gates, the figures of eagles were adorned, remains of which are still seen in different stages of preservation.