History and Archaeology of Tyre

 Another important historic port is Tyre on the coast of present day Lebanon.   In the 5th century BC, the Greek historian, Herodotus visited the city and declared it to be one of the oldest in the world.  In the Bronze-Age, Tyre had been known for the export of the purple dye for which the Phoenicians were famous.   Tyre had been the base from which navigators had explored the Mediterranean going on to found centres such as Cadiz and Carthage, thus establishing the Phoenicians as a major player in bronze-age maritime commerce.
Built on and around a natural harbour, Tyre eventually succumbed to Alexander the Great in 332BC.  The Greeks held Tyre until 64BC when it gave way to Rome and a Roman city of some consequence began to be constructed on the site.  During the early Christian Period , Tyre was the seat of a Byzantine province which incorporated no less than 14  bishoprics, including that of nearby Byblos.  This continued until the Arabs conquered the area in 636 AD.  Tyre was to continue under Arabian rule until the time of the Crusades.  It was re-taken by the European Crusaders in 1124, with the help of the Venetians.  The conquering crusaders set about fortifying the city and it remained a Christian strong-hold until it was almost entirely destroyed by the Mamluks in 1294.  Prior to this the Christians had built 18 churches, a castle and had reconstructed the cathedral on the site of the original Byzantine basilica.  The city was all but abandoned after the destruction in 1294 and not populated again until it was partly re-built in the 18th century and , despite a more recent population increase, today’s Tyre is home to only around 60,000 people.
For those with an interest in history and archaeology, modern Tyre is certainly worth visiting.  In the present town, the visible remains include parts of the Roman city and the medieval structures left by the Crusaders.   These sites can be split into two quite distinct areas:
1. The Promontory which is the site of the archipelago.  Here can be found the ruins of the Roman palaestra, thermae and arena as well as the remains of the 12th century cathedral built by the Venetians and parts of the walls and castle built during the Crusades.
2. The mainland where the necropolis of El Bass can be found close to the triumphal arch from the 2nd century AD.  More Roman ruins are here, in particular the aqueduct and hippodrome which is one of the largest known examples from the Roman world.
The volume and grandeur of the ruin in Tyre show what a high status city it must have once been in its strategic position on the coast of the Mediterranean.