During the first century B.C., the empire left by Alexander the Great to his successors, the Seleucids in Syria, sank into disruption and chaos due to the war that rose between them. The Itureans (Arab tribes) established in the Békaa took advantage of the situation, spread and controlled North Lebanon, and acquired both political and religious power. Possessors of the great pontificate in Baalbek, they imposed their religious customs on the regions they dominated.

Rome entered into the scene and showed tolerance towards the local cults in order to incite the local populations to enter into its new universal culture. Consequently, the former cultic places witnessed massive temple construction projects, generally financed by the public powers or the local religious or civil authorities. Some temples were constructed and decorated according to the Greco-Roman taste, however, they were adapted to fit the requirements of the traditional cults.

It is in this context that one has to envision the temple complexes of Maqâm ar-Rabb located in the Aakkar region and Sfiré located in the Danniyé region of North Lebanon.