Tyre
Mentioned often in the Bible, Tyre was probably founded at the start of the third millennium B.C. It was originally made up of two parts: the coastal city and some small islands. Phoenician Tyre was queen of the seas, an island city of unprecedented splendor. According to one ancient account, "Tyrian merchants were the first who ventured to navigate the Mediterranean waters; and they founded their colonies on the coasts and neighboring islands of the Aegean Sea, in Greece, on the northern coast of Africa, at Carthage and other places, in Sicily and Corsica, in Spain at Tartessus, and even beyond the pillars of Hercules at Gadeira." Tyre became a grand city. 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 Nabuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great.
The ruins are spread over three sites. The Al-Mina (Site 1), located near the sea in the city, includes a long colonnaded road with Byzantine-era mosaics, an unusual rectangular Roman pool, and an extensive Roman bathhouse complex. A short distance north is the (Site 2), with the ruins of a 12th century Crusader cathedral. The Al-Bass (Site 3), a 20-30 minute walk east of the other sites, contains the most impressive ruins. Highlights include a monumental stone archway, aqueducts lining an ancient Roman road, a massive Roman and Byzantine necropolis, and the largest and best-preserved Roman hippodrome in the world.
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