Tyre and Sidon, the cradel of history

Two essential cities from the Phoenician era were Tyre and Sidon. Both were flourishing commercial centers for international trade. On the UNESCO list, you will find the Roman-era architecture of Tyre. At the same time, you are in the Hezbollah district, bombarded with propaganda for their military group, and Iran.

Daytrip from Beirut

Before I arrived in Lebanon, I had booked a day trip to Tyre and Sidon. When I was picked up from the hotel, I was the only one booked that day, so I had a private guide. Close to the Israeli border, you find Tyre, the southernmost city in Lebanon. As we approached the town, this became more evident. Several security posts had to be passed, besides posters for Hizbollah and pictures of the Iranian president along the road.

Archeological sites of Tyre

Tyre’s UNESCO-listed Roman and Byzantine archeological legacy is spread over several sites. They are well-preserved and give insight into the city’s history. The guide left me at the gate of Al-Bass ruins, and I had a great time walking around this ancient site. Even here, I had this large area almost to myself. Lebanon should be on anybody’s list for those interested in excavated historical sites.

The archaeological finds span from the 2nd to the 4th centuries CE. A large area is a cemetery dedicated to large graves and Sarcophagi in marble and stone; the best Sarcophagi were moved to Beirut National Museum, as the one above. You can see the remains of an aqueduct and the massive U-shaped Roman hippodrome. The collonade and causeway built by Alexander the Great led to the Egyptian port in the top picture. The hippodrome has been used for several music festivals.

The “modern” Tyre

The city suffered greatly during the civil war, and the fishing port has a Mediterranean vibe. Moreover, the city is divided into religious sections, like the colorful Christian streets above. Tyre also has a large Palestinian refugee camp with about 60.000 inhabitants. What I had not realized is that if you came as a refugee to Lebanon, you would never become a Lebanese citizen. Not even your children or grandchildren. So some people came here in 1948 and still live in a camp and will never get a passport. I do not blame the Lebanese, but it made me think how unfair the world can be. Syrian refugees pose the most significant challenge to Lebanon today.

Sidon

Halfway between Beirut and Tyre, you find Sidon. In the Old Testament, Sidon is called the “firstborn” of Canaan! Both Jesus and Saint Paul are said to have visited it. King Sigurd I of Norway should also have tried to capture the city. Anyhow, this tells us the town has a long history. The Crusaders built Sidon’s Sea Castel in the thirteenth century as a fortress of the holy land. It is one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon.

Sidon today

Today, its laid-back atmosphere contrasts the capital city and has a more Arab vibe. Also, the old-style souks and handcrafts men doing their crafts as they have done for centuries were charming; unfortunately, due to Ramadan, most of the souks were closed. Even though Sidon has a long history of being an important city, you do not see too much immediate evidence of that; the war made big scars. Many ongoing archaeological artifacts are still unearthed in Sidon. We visited an old soap factory, now an excellent museum.

My last stop on this day trip was in the Khan al-Franj, a building built to stimulate trade and offered merchants a one-stop place for selling and buying cotton and silk. Used as a marketplace on the ground floor, while the merchants could rest on the upper floor. My guide for the day was superb; I got a perfect introduction to Lebanon’s history and a better understanding of how the country was built up and the problems it has dealt with in the last decades.