| Sacred pool of Baal | |
|---|---|
.png) Aerial view of the sacred pool of Baal | |
| Location | Motya (San Pantaleo island), off the coast of Sicily, Italy |
| Coordinates | 37°51′53″N 12°27′57″E / 37.86472°N 12.46583°E |
| Founded | 9th century BC |
| Built for | Cultic, part of a monumental religious complex |
| Demolished | Destroyed in 550 BC by Punic general Malco, and in 396 BC by Dionysius the Elder, the Despot of Syracuse |
| Rebuilt | Second half of the 6th century BC after its destruction by the Carthaginians |
| Architectural style(s) | Phoenician |
| Governing body | Superintendence for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Trapani |
  Location of the sacred pool of Baal in Sicily | |
The Sacred area of the Kothon is a Phoenician religious PRECINCT/ sanctuary situated in the southwest of the island of Motya, Sicily.
Motya is a mediterranean island, known to be occupied since xxx,
The sanctuary comprises multiple temples and cultic installations surrounding the Sacred pool of Baal, a large rectangular man-made basin used for ritual purposes. The pool, formerly called Kothon, was believed to be an artificial harbor used as a dry dock for ship careening, until excavations revealed its religious function in connection with its surrounding temples.
The sacred area of the Kothon is delimited by a circular temenos, a sacred enclosure xxx in diameter. The temenos connects with the sea from the west and the south. The sacred pool of Baal occupies a central location within the complex and is surrounded by three temples. To the west of the pool lies the Temple of Baal, to its east, the temple of Astarte, and a third, smaller temple, is dubbed Sanctuary of the holy waters.
Motya
for pool of Baal is a large basin used for ritual purposes. The pool was a central part of a large religious complex that included multiple temples and shrines, including the grand temple of the chief Phoenician deity, the god Baal.
Due to its large size, the pool was mistaken by archeologists for a kothon, an artificial inland harbor.