The temple gained Emesa (Homs) prominence in the region as an important center of paganism and one of its priests, Elagabalus, became Emperor of Rome.

[1] Later during the Byzantine phase of the Empire, the temple was converted into a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist during the reign of Theodosius I as part of Christian persecution of paganism.

According to numerous Muslim geographers who visited the city throughout the centuries of Islamic rule, a talisman made of white stone stood over the gate of the mosque facing the church.

[2] In October 968, the Byzantines led by Nikephoros II Phokas who sacked the city of Homs, managed to briefly restore it as a church.

The courtyard includes a raised terrace along the wall, possibly representing a part of the podium on which the cella of the pagan temple would have stood.