 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Phoenician
Tyre
was
queen
of
the
seas,
an
island
city
of
unprecedented
splendor.
She
grew
wealthy
from
her
far-reaching
colonies
and
her
industries
of
purple-dyed
textiles.
But
she
also
attracted
the
attention
of
jealous
conquerors
among
them
the
Babylonian
King
Nebuchadnezzar
and
Alexander
the
Great.
Five
Millennia
of
History
Founded
at
the
start
of
the
third
millennium
B.C.,
Tyre
originally
consisted
of
a
mainland
settlement
and
a
modest
island
city
that
lay
a
short
distance
off
shore.
But
it
was
not
until
the
first
millennium
B.C.
that
the
city
experienced
its
golden
age.
In
the
10th
century
B.C.
Hiram,
King
of
Tyre,
joined
two
islets
by
landfill.
Later
he
extended
the
city
|
|
 |
further
by
reclaiming
a
considerable
area
from
the
sea.
Phoenician
expansion
began
about
815
B.C.
when
traders
from
Tyre
founded
Carthage
in
North
Africa.
Eventually
its
colonies
spread
around
the
Mediterranean
and
Atlantic,
bringing
to
the
city
a
flourishing
maritime
trade.
But
prosperity
and
power
make
their
own
enemies.
Early
in
the
sixth
century
B.C.
Nebuchadnezzar,
King
of
Babylon,
laid
siege
to
the
walled
city
for
thirteen
years.
Tyre
stood
firm,
but
it
was
probable
that
at
this
time
the
residents
of
the
mainland
city
abandoned
it
for
the
safety
of
the
island. |
|
|
|
In
332
B.C.
Alexander
the
Great
set
out
to
conquer
this
strategic
coastal
base
in
the
war
between
the
Greeks
and
the
Persians.Unable
to
storm
the
city,
he
blockaded
Tyre
for
seven
months.
Again
Tyre
held
on.
But
the
conqueror
used
the
debris
of
the
abandoned
mainland
city
to
build
a
causeway
and
once
within
reach
of
the
city
walls,
Alexander
used
his
siege
engines
to
batter
and
finally
breach
the
fortifications.
It
is
said
that |
|

The
public
baths |
Alexander
was
so
enraged
at
the
Tyrians'
defense
and
the
loss
of
his
men
that
he
destroyed
half
the
city.
The
town's
30,000
residents
were
massacred
or
sold
into
slavery.
Tyre
and
the
whole
of
ancient
Syria
fell
under
Roman
rule
in
64
B.C..
Nonetheless,
for
some
time
Tyre
continued
to
mint
its
own
silver
coins.
The
Romans
built
great
important
monuments
in
the
city,
including
an
aqueduct,
a
triumphal
arch
and
the
largest
hippodrome
in
antiquity. |
|
 |
|
Christianity
figures
in
the
history
of
Tyre,
whose
name
is
mentioned
in
the
new
testament.
During
the
Byzantine
era,
the
Archbishop
of
Tyre
was
the
primate
of
all
the
bishops
of
Phoenicia.
At
this
time
the
town
witnessed
a
second
golden
age
as
can
be
seen
from
the
remains
of
its
buildings
and
the
inscriptions
in
the
necropolis.
Taken
by
the
Islamic
armies
in
634,
the
city
offered
no
resistance
and
continued
to
prosper
under
its
new
rulers,
exporting
sugar
as
well
as
objects
made
of
pearl
and
glass. |
With
the
decline
of
the
Abbasid
caliphate,
Tyre
acquired
some
independence
under
the
dynasty
of
Banu
'Aqil,
vassals
of
the
Egyptian
Fatimides.
This
was
a
time
when
Tyre
was
adorned
with
fountains
and
its
bazaars
were
full
of
all
kinds
of
merchandise,
including
carpets
and
jewerly
of
gold
and
silver.
Thanks
to
Tyre's
strong
fortifications
it
was
able
to
resist
to
onslaught
of
the
Crusaders
until
1124.
After
about
180
years
of
Crusader
rule,
the
Mamlukes
retook
the
city
in
1291,
then
it
passed
on
to
the
Ottomans
at
the
start
of
the
16th
century.
With
the
end
of
the
World
War
I
Tyre
was
integrated
into
the
new
nation
of
Lebanon. |
|
|
|
|

View
of
Tyre
(19th
century
engraving) |
|
Archeological
Tyre
For
a
period
of
nearly
50
years
the
General
Directorate
of
Antiquities
excavated
in
and
around
Tyre,
concentrating
on
the
three
major
Roman
archaeological
sites
in
the
town,
which
can
be
seen
today.
The
most
important
recent
archaeological
find
in
a
Phoenician
cemetery
from
the
first
millennium
B.C.
Discovered
in
1991
during
clandestine
excavations,
this
is
the
first
cemetery
of
its
kind
found
in
Lebanon.
Funerary
jars,
inscribed
steles
and
jewelry
were
among the
objects
retrieved |
from
the
site.
The
importance
of
this
historical
city
and
its
monuments
was
highlighted
in
1979
when
UNESCO
declared
Tyre
a
world
Heritage
Site.
In
the
meantime,
government
efforts
have
stopped
much
of
the
wartime
pillaging
that
Tyre's
archaeological
treasures
have
suffered
because
of
economic
stress
in
the
area
and
international
demand
for
antiquities.
Grassroots
campaigns
have
also
drawn
attention
to
the
importance
of
the
city's
antiquities. |
|
|
Back
to
top |
V
I
S
I
T
I
N
G
T
Y
R
E
'
S
A
N
C
I
E
N
T
S
I
T
E
S |

The
Triumphal
Arch |
|
Area
One,
located
on
what
was
the
Phoenician
island,
is
a
vast
district
of
civic
buildings,
colonnades,
public
baths,
mosaic
streets
and
a
rectangular
arena.
Walk
to
the
beach
at
the
far
end
of
the
site.
The
columns
to
the
left
belong
to
a
Palaestra,
an
area
where
athletes
trained.
Other
excavated
remains
on
this
site
date
to
the
Hellenistic,
Roman,
and
Byzantine
periods.
A
short
distance
from
the
shore
you
will
see
"islands"
which
are,
in
fact,
the
great
stone
breakwaters
and
jetties
of
the
ancient
Phoenician
port,
called
the
"Egyptian
port"
because
it
faced
south
towards
Egypt. |
|
|
|
|
Area
Two,
is
a
five
minute
walk
to
the
west.
Its
major
point
of
interest
is
a
Crusader
cathedral.
Only
the
lowest
foundations
and
a
few
re-erected
granite
columns
remain
intact
but
these
are
nevertheless
impressive.
The
area
below
has
revealed
a
network
of
Romano-Byzantine
roads
and
other
installations.
Visitors
are
not
allowed
inside
the
site,
but
the
ruins
can
be
viewed
from
the
road.
Area
Three,
is
a
thirty
minute
walk
from
Areas
One
and
Two
and
consists
of
an
extensive
necropolis,
a
three-bay
monumental
arch
and
one
of
the
largest
Roman
hippodrome
ever
found.
All
date
from
the
2nd
century
A.D.
to
the
6th
|
|

The
hippodrome |
century
A.D.
The
necropolis,
excavated
in
1962,
yielded-hundreds
of
ornate
stone
and
marble
sarcophagi
of
the
Roman
and
Byzantine
periods.
Foundations
of
a
Byzantine
church
can
also
be
seen.
The
archway
stands
astride
a
Roman
road
that
led
into
the
ancient
city.
Alongside
the
road
are
the
remains
of
the
aqueduct
that
assured
the
city
its
water
supply.
(See
reference
to
Ras
El-Ain). |
|
|
|

Marble
sarcophagus
2nd
century
A.D. |
|
South
of
the
necropolis
is
the
partially
reconstructed
Roman
hippodrome
excavated
in
1967.
The
480-meter
structure
seated
twenty
thousand
spectators
who
gathered
to
watch
the
death-defying
sport
of
chariot
racing.
Each
end
of
the
course
was
marked
by
still
existing
stone
turning
posts
(metae).
Charioteers
had
to
make
this
circuit
seven
times.
Rounding
the
metae
at
top
speed
was
the
most
dangerous
part
of
the
race
and
often
produced
spectacular
spills. |
The
walk
to
Area
Three
takes
you
through
a
residential
part
of
Tyre
called
Hay
Er-Raml
or
the
Quarter
of
Sand.
You
are
in
fact
walking
on
what
once
was
Alexander
the
great
causeway.
Accumulating
sands
and
extensive
landfill
have
expanded
this
old
land
link
to
the
extent
that
modern
visitors
have
the
impression
that
Tyre
is
built
on
a
peninsula. |
|
|
|
|
Tyre
Today
Tyre
has
a
colorful
souk
(covered
market)
well
worth
exploring.
Look
for
the
Ottoman
khan,
or
inn,
just
inside
the
market
entrance.
On
a
side
street
is
the
"Mamluke
House",
an
Ottoman
period
residence
that
is
being
restored
as
a
cultural
heritage
and
information
center
by
the
General
Directorate
of
Antiquities.
Also
in
the
souk
area
is
a
white,
double-domed
Shia
mosque
of
great
interest.
Near
the
market
you
will |
|

The
port
of
Tyre |
see
a
busy
fisherman's
port,
in
Phoenician
times
referred
to
as
the
"Sidonian"
port
because
it
faced
north
towards
Sidon.
Walk
along
the
port
with
the
sea
on
your
right
and
you
enter
the
city's
Christian
Quarter,
a
picturesque
area
of
narrow
streets,
traditional
architecture,
and
the
Seat
of
the
Maronite
bishop
of
Tyre
and
the
Holy
land.
One
medieval
tower
still
stands
in
a
small
garden.
A
second
one
is
visible
under
the
little
lighthouse.
During
Crusader
times
towers
similar
to
these
ringed
the
city. |
|
|
|
|
Ameneties
The
archeological
sites
are
open
daily.
Several
seafood
restaurants
and
pubs
are
located
in
the
port
area
and
fast
food
places
have
opened
in
the
Hay
Er-Raml
area.
Local
restaurants
fare
is
good.
The
seaside
Elissa
Hotel
is
the
hotel
in
Tyre
and
is
located
near
the |
|

Roman
period
street
bordered
by
columned
porticoes |
|

The
Necropolis |
|
hippodrome/necropolis. |
|
|
|
|
Back
to
top |
If
You
have
Time
Skin
Diving:
Basic
equipment
is
sufficient
for
exploring
the
Phoenician
breakwaters
and
jetties.
Look
for
the
Murex,
still
living
along
Tyre's
shores
among
the
rocks
and
sunken
archeological
remains.
Ras
el-Ain
(6
Kilometers
south
of
Tyre)
has
been
Tyre's
main
source
of
water
since
Phoenician
days.
Its
artesian
wells
gush
up
into
stone
reservoirs
that
have
been
maintained
through
the
ages.
One
of
the
reservoirs
fed
the
arched
aqueducts
of
the
Roman
period
that
once
that
once
stretched
all
the
way
to
Tyre.
Remains
of
these
aqueducts
can
be
seen
along
the
Roman
road
running
under
the
monumental
arch
on
the
necropolis
at
Area
Three.
A
short
stretch
of
the
original
aqueduct
near
the
reservoirs
continues
to
serve
as
part
of
Tyre's
present
day
waterworks.
Sarafand
(28
Kilometers
north
of
Tyre)
is
the
site
of
ancient
Serepta,
mentioned
in
the
bible.
Excavations
here
revealed
the
remains
of
Canaanite-Phoenician
structures
and
Roman
port
installations.
Modern
Sarafand
still
has
a
workshop
where
the
ancient
Phoenician
art
glass
blowing
is
practiced.
Tomb
of
Hiram:
On
the
road
to
Qana
El-Jaleel,
(6
Kilometers
southeast
of
Tyre)
is
a
burial
monument
from
the
Persian
period
(550
-
330
B.C.).
This
has
traditionally
been
called
the
tomb
of
Hiram,
the
celebrated
Phoenician
architect
of
the
Temple
of
Jerusalem.
|
|
|
|
The
ancient
world
had
much
to
thank
Tyre
for.
The
Greek
attributed
the
introduction
of
the
alphabet
to
their
country
Cadmus,
the
son
of
a
Tyrian
king.
The
name
of
the
continent
if
said
to
come
from
Europa,
the
sister
of
Cadmus.
But
it
was
Tyre's
purple-dyed
textiles,
worn
throughout
the
ancient
world
as
a
mark
of
royal
rank,
that
brought
fame
and
fortune
to
the
city.
One
gram
of
pure
purple
dye
was
worth
ten
or
twenty
grams
of
gold,
so
it
is
not
surprising
that
some
of
the
beautiful
sarcophagi
of
the
necropolis
belonged
to
wealthy
purple
dye
manufactures
of
Tyre.
The
ancient
Tyrians
extracted
the
dye
from
the
Murex,
a
marine
snail
that
still
lives
along
Tyre's
shores
deep
among
the
rocks
and
sunken
archeological
remains.
Dye
extraction
is
no
longer
a
viable
commercial
venture,
but
scientists
have
documented
the
process
for
historical
purposes. |
|
|
|
|
VISIT
OTHER
CITIES
(BEIRUT
-
BYBLOS
-
JEITA
GROTTO
-
TRIPOLI
-
SIDON
-
BAALBECK)
(THE
CEDARS
-
AANJAR
-
ZAHLÉ
-
BEITEDDINE) |
|
|
|

EGYPT
-
SYRIA
-
JORDAN
 |
|
|
|
Back
to
MiddleEast.com |