Baalbek's landscape is dotted with temples and ancient escarpments, making the location feel timeless and overwhelming. How do Twain and his friends feel about Baalbek?

Twain and the group are struck speechless by the Temples of the Sun and Jupiter. Huge building stones dot the landscape, and Twain is left to scoff at the flimsy building bricks used by builders in modern times. They simply have trouble comprehending how and by what method the people of the past were able to lift the stones and arrange them so carefully to make their buildings.