The medieval Islamic qal'a of Baalbek had running water .supplied to mosques, baths and houses. It was provided through an elaborate pressure pipe from springs outside the fortress village, with supporting masonry constructed to contain angle-joints for falling and rising pipes.

Numerous water and drainage systems were found passing through the 1994 excavations near the Islamic shrine in Beirut. They too were made of neatly fitted ceramic water pipes with elaborately constructed angle-joints.

The findings were carefully plotted and computer recorded for visual reconstruction.

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al@mashriq                       960118/960118