Tyre, Lebanon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Tyros" redirects here. Tyros is also the plural of tyro, a word meaning "novice".
Tyre
City
Tyre fishing harbor
Tyre fishing harbor
Tyre is located in Lebanon TyreTyre
Coordinates: 331615N 351146ECoordinates: 331615N 351146E
Country

Lebanon

Governorate South
District

Tyre

Established 2750 BC
Area
City4 km2 (2 sq mi)
Metro

17 km2 (7 sq mi)

Population
City60,000
Metro
Time zone

174,000
EET (UTC+2)

Summer (DST)

EEST (UTC+3)

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Type Cultural
Criteria

iii, vi

Designated 1984 (8th session)

Reference no.
State Party

299

Lebanon

Region

Arab States

Tyre (Arabic: , r; Phoenician: , ur; Hebrew: , Tsor; Tiberian Hebrew ,

r; Akkadian: , urru; Greek: , Tros; Turkish: Sur; Latin: Tyrus,
Armenian [Dir]), sometimes romanized as Sour, is a city in the South
Governorate of Lebanon. There were approximately 117,000 inhabitants in 2003.
[1] However, the government of Lebanon has released only rough estimates of
population numbers since 1932, so an accurate statistical accounting is not
possible.[2] Tyre juts out from the coast of the Mediterranean and is located
about 80 km (50 mi) south of Beirut. The name of the city means "rock"[3] after
the rocky formation on which the town was originally built. The adjective for Tyre
is Tyrian, and the inhabitants are Tyrians.

Tyre is an ancient Phoenician city and the legendary birthplace of Europa and
Dido (Elissa). Today it is the fourth largest city in Lebanon[4] and houses one of
the nation's major ports. Tourism is a major industry. The city has a number of
ancient sites, including its Roman Hippodrome which was added to UNESCO's list
of World Heritage Sites in 1979.[5][6]

Contents [hide]
1

History

1.1

Foundation

1.2

Early history

1.3

Later history

1.4

After 1920

Geography

Cultural heritage

3.1

Scriptural

3.2

Other writings

Education

Gallery

Twin towns sister cities

Notable people

See also

References

10

External links

History[edit]

The Triumphal Arch (reconstructed)

Remains of ancient columns at Al Mina excavation site supposed palaestra

Rectangular theatre at Al Mina excavation site

The modern south part of Tyre

Tyre originally consisted of two distinct urban centres, Tyre itself, which was on
an island just off shore, and the associated settlement of Ushu on the adjacent
mainland. Alexander the Great connected the island to the mainland by
constructing a causeway during his siege of the city,[7] demolishing the old city
to reuse its cut stone.[8]

The original island city had two harbours, one on the south side and the other on
the north side of the island. It was the two harbours that enabled Tyre to gain the
maritime prominence that it did; the harbour on the north side of the island was,
in fact, one of the best harbours on the eastern end of the Mediterranean. The
harbour on the south side has silted over, but the harbour on the north side (see
Tyre harbor photo the right) is still in use.[9]

In ancient times, the island-city of Tyre was heavily fortified and the mainland
settlement, originally called Ushu (later called Palaetyrus, meaning "Old Tyre," by
the ancient Greeks) was actually more like a line of suburbs than any one city
and was used primarily as a source of water and timber for the main island city.
[10] Josephus records that the two fought against each other on occasion,[11]
but most of the time, they supported one another because they both benefited
from the island city's wealth from maritime trade and the mainland area's source
of timber, water and burial grounds.[citation needed]

Foundation[edit]

Tyre was founded around 2750 BC according to Herodotus and was originally
built as a walled city upon the mainland. Phoenicians from Tyre settled in houses
around Memphis, south of the temple of Hephaestus in a district called the Tyrian
Camp.[12][13] Tyre's name appears on monuments as early as 1300 BC. Philo of
Byblos (in Eusebius) quotes the antiquarian authority Sanchuniathon as stating
that it was first occupied by Hypsuranius. Sanchuniathon's work is said to be
dedicated to "Abibalus king of Berytus"possibly the Abibaal who was king of
Tyre.[14]

There are ten Amarna letters dated 1350 BC from the mayor, Abimilku, written to
Akenaten. The subject is often water, wood and the Habiru overtaking the
countryside of the mainland and how that affected the island-city.[citation
needed]

Early history[edit]
The commerce of the ancient world was gathered into the warehouses of Tyre.

Tyrian merchants were the first who ventured to navigate the Mediterranean
waters; and they founded their colonies on the coasts and neighbouring 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 (Cdiz).[15]

The city of Tyre was particularly known for the production of a rare and
extraordinarily expensive sort of purple dye, produced from the murex shellfish,
known as Tyrian purple. The colour was, in ancient cultures, reserved for the use
of royalty or at least the nobility.[16]

Tyre was often attacked by Egypt, besieged by Shalmaneser V, who was assisted
by the Phoenicians of the mainland, for five years. From 586 until 573 BC, the
city was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar II until it agreed to pay a tribute.[17]

The Achaemenid Empire conquered the city in 539 BC and kept it under its rule
until Alexander the Great laid siege to the city, conquered and razed it in 332 BC.
[18] In 315 BC, Alexander's former general Antigonus began his own siege of
Tyre,[19] taking the city a year later.[20]

In 126 BC, Tyre regained its independence from the Seleucid Empire[21] and was
allowed to keep much of its independence, as a "civitas foederata",[22] when the
area became a Roman province in 64 BC.[23] Tyre continued to maintain much of
its commercial importance until the Common Era.

Later history[edit]
It is stated in the Bible that Jesus visited the region of Tyre and Sidon and healed
a Gentile (Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24) and from this region many came forth to
hear him preaching (Mark 3:8; Gospel of Luke 6:17, Matthew 11:2123). A
congregation was founded here soon after the death of St. Stephen. Paul the
Apostle, on his return from his third missionary journey, spent a week in
conversation with the disciples there. According to Irenaeus of Lyon in On the
Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis, the female companion of
Simon Magus came from here.

During the Roman empire in Tyre was built a famous "Arch of Hadrian" and one of
the best hippodromes in the region.[24]

in the Revolt of Tyre (996998), the populace of the city rose against Fatimid rule,
led by an ordinary sailor named 'Allaqa, and got some Byzantine - but were
brutally suppressed in May 998.

After a first failed siege in 1111, Tyre was captured during the First Crusade in
1124 and became one of the most important cities of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
It was part of the royal domain, but there were also autonomous trading colonies
there for the Italian merchant cities. The city was the site of the See of Tyre
whose archbishop was a suffragan of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem; its
archbishops often acceded to the Patriarchate. The most notable of the Latin
archbishops was the historian William of Tyre.

After the reconquest of Acre by Richard I of England on July 12, 1191, the seat of
the kingdom moved there, but coronations were held in Tyre. In the 13th century,
Tyre was separated from the royal domain as the Lordship of Tyre. In 1291, it was
retaken by the Mamluk Sultanate, which then was followed by Ottoman rule
before the modern state of Lebanon was declared in 1920.

After 1920[edit]

A large sign which marks the ancient city of Tyre as protected cultural property
according to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in
the Event of Armed Conflict.
The present city of Tyre covers a large part of the original island and has
expanded onto and covers most of the causeway, which had increased greatly in
width over the centuries because of extensive silt depositions on either side. The
part of the original island not covered by the modern city of Tyre is mostly of an
archaeological site showcasing remains of the city from ancient times.

After numerous attacks and reprisals involving the PLO, including an

assassination attempt on Israeli ambassador Argov, Israel invaded, [called the
1978 South Lebanon conflict], and Tyre was badly damaged. It was damaged
again in the 1982 Lebanon War between Israel and the Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO). The city was used as a base by the PLO and was nearly
destroyed by Israeli artillery.[25] After the 1982 war, the city was the site of an
Israeli military post. In late 1982, and again in November 1983, buildings housing
Israeli headquarters were destroyed by bombs, causing dozens of deaths in both
cases and known in Israel as the First and Second Tyre Catastrophes. The 1983
explosion by a suicide truck happened only 10 days after similar attacks, the
1983 Beirut barracks bombings of US Marines and French paratroop barracks.
Israel and the US blame Iran and Hezbollah for all explosions, but they have
denied any involvement.

During Israel's invasion in the 2006 Lebanon War, several rocket-launching sites
used by Hezbollah to attack Israel were located in rural areas around the city.[26]
At least one village near the city was bombed by Israel as well as several sites
within the city, causing civilian deaths and adding to the food shortage problem
inside Tyre.[27] Shayetet 13 (Israeli naval commandos) also raided Hezbollah
targets within the city.[28]

Geography[edit]
The Tyre Coast Nature Reserve covers over 380 hectares (940 acres) and divided
into three zones: the Tourism zone (public beaches, the old city and Souks, the
ancient port), the Agricultural and Archaeological zone, and the Conservation
zone that includes the Phoenician springs of Ras El Ain. Due to its diverse flora
and fauna, the reserve is a designated Ramsar Site. It is an important nesting
site for migratory birds and the endangered Loggerhead and green sea turtle and
the shelter of the Arabian spiny mouse and many other important creatures
(including wall lizards, common pipistrelle, and european badger).[29][30]

Cultural heritage[edit]

Roman Hippodrome in Tyre

Threats to Tyre's ancient cultural heritage include development pressures and
the illegal antiquities trade.[31] A highway, planned for 2011, is expected to be
built in areas that are deemed archaeologically sensitive. A small-scale
geophysical survey indicated the presence of archaeological remains at proposed
construction sites. The sites have not been investigated. Despite the relocation
of a proposed traffic interchange, the lack of precise site boundaries confuses the
issue of site preservation.[32]

The hostilities of the 2006 Lebanon War put the ancient structures of Tyre at risk.
This prompted UNESCO's Director-General to launch a "Heritage Alert" for the
site.[33] Following the cessation of hostilities in September 2006, a visit by
conservation experts to Lebanon observed no direct damage to the ancient city
of Tyre. However, bombardment had damaged frescoes in a Roman funerary
cave at the Tyre Necropolis. Additional site degradation was also noted, including
"the lack of maintenance, the decay of exposed structures due to lack of
rainwater regulation and the decay of porous and soft stones".[32] Like many of
the cities in the Levant and in Lebanon, the architecture since the Lebanese Civil
War in the 1970s has been of poor quality, which tend to threaten the cultural
heritage in the built environment before the war.[citation needed]

Scriptural[edit]
The Hebrew Bible makes several references to Tyre, mentioning that King Hiram I
was a contemporary of David and Solomon in 2 Samuel 5:11, 1 Kings 5:1, and 1
Chronicles 14:1. Tyre is mentioned in the Book of Isaiah [Isaiah 23], the Book of
Jeremiah [Jer 25:22][Jer 47:4] (25:22, 47:4), the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 26-28),
the Book of Joel [Joel 3:4-8], the Book of Amos [Amos 1:9-10], the Psalms, and
the Book of Zechariah [Zechariah 9:3-4], which prophesied its destruction.
Other writings[edit]
In 19th-century Britain, Tyre was several times taken as an exemplar of the
mortality of great power and status, for example by John Ruskin in the opening
lines of The Stones of Venice and by Rudyard Kipling's Recessional.
Education[edit]
[icon] This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2016)
Collge lite, a French international school, is in Tyre.

Gallery[edit]

Main colonnaded street at Al Mina excavation site

Al Mina excavation area supposed Roman agora

A typical narrow street in the Christian quarter

Tyre harbor
Twin towns sister cities[edit]
Tyre is twinned with:

Algeria Algiers, Algeria

Iran Dezful, Iran
Spain Mlaga, Spain[34]
France Perpignan, France
Tunisia Tunis, Tunisia
Notable people[edit]
Antipater of Tyre (1st Century BC), Stoic philosopher
Apollonius of Tyre (philosopher) (c. 50 BC), philosopher
Ulpianus (late 2nd Century BC), Roman jurist
Diodorus of Tyre (late 2nd Century BC), Peripatetic philosopher
Saint Christina of Tyre (3rd century) Martyr[35]
Porphyry, Neoplatonic philosopher and writer
See also[edit]

Kings of Tyre
Tyrian shekel
Tyre in Biblical Prophecy
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Lebanon city population
Jump up ^ Lebanon Population
Jump up ^ (Bikai, P., "The Land of Tyre", in Joukowsky, M., The Heritage of Tyre,
1992, chapter 2, p. 13)
Jump up ^ Tyre City, Lebanon
Jump up ^ Resolution 459
Jump up ^ Lebanon's Archaeological Heritage Archived March 11, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Presutta, David. The Biblical Cosmos Versus Modern Cosmology. 2007,
page 225, referencing: Katzenstein, H.J., The History of Tyre, 1973, p.9
Jump up ^ Robin Lane fox, Alexander the Great 1973:181f.
Jump up ^ See Jidejian, Nina. Tyre Through the Ages, 1969, for further
information about the history of Tyre and its present condition.
Jump up ^ 'Tyre' from Encyclopdia Britannica 11th ed.
Jump up ^ Historical references to Tyre
Jump up ^ Herodotus. The Histories. Oxford World's Classics. p. 137. ISBN
9780199535668.
Jump up ^ Bement, R B. Tyre; the history of Phoenicia, Palestine and Syria, and
the final captivity of Israel and Judah by the Assyrians. Ulan Press. p. 47. ASIN
B009WP2MR8.
Jump up ^ Vance, Donald R. (March 1994) "Literary Sources for the History of
Palestine and Syria: The Phnician Inscriptions" The Biblical Archaeologist 57(1),
pp. 219
Jump up ^ from 'Tyre' in Easton's Bible Dictionary
Jump up ^ Bariaa Mourad. "Du Patrimoine la Musologie : Conception d'un
muse sur le site archologique de Tyr",(Thesis); Museum National d'Histoire
Naturelle (MNHN), Study realised in cooperation with the Unesco, Secteur de la
Culture, Division du Patrimoine Culturel, Paris, 1998

Jump up ^ Bement, R B. Tyre; the history of Phoenicia, Palestine and Syria, and
the final captivity of Israel and Judah by the Assyrians. Ulan Press. p. 48. ASIN
B009WP2MR8.
Jump up ^ "Tyre in the early Persian period (539-486 B.C)". Retrieved 9
November 2014.
Jump up ^ 315 B.C. events and references
Jump up ^ 314 B.C. events and references
Jump up ^ 126 B.C. events and references
Jump up ^ E. G. Hardy, Roman Laws and Charters, New Jersey 2005, p.95
Jump up ^ 64 B.C. events and references
Jump up ^ Video showing the Roman hippodrome of Tyre
Jump up ^ The toll of three cities, The Economist June 19, 1982. p. 26.
Jump up ^ Butcher, Tim. Rebels were ready for attacks. Sydney Morning Herald
27 July 2006.
Jump up ^ Engel, Richard. Desperation descends on Tyre, Lebanon. MSNBC 25
July 2006.
Jump up ^ Israeli commandos stage Tyre raid BBC 5 August 2006.
Jump up ^ "Protecting marine biodiversity in Lebanon". International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 2 May 2012.
Jump up ^ Hany El Shaer; Ms. Lara Samaha; Ghassan Jaradi (Dec 2012).
"Lebanon's Marine Protected Area Strategy" (PDF). Lebanese Ministry of
Environment.
Jump up ^ Helga Seeden (December 2, 2000). "Lebanon's Archaeological
Heritage".
^ Jump up to: a b Toubekis, Georgios (2010). "Lebanon: Tyre (Sour)". In Christoph
Machat, Michael Petzet and John Ziesemer (Eds.), "Heritage at Risk: ICOMOS
World Report 2008-2010 on Monuments and Sites in Danger" (PDF).. Berlin:
hendrik Bler verlag, 2010, pg. 118.
Jump up ^ Kochiro Matsuura; The Director-General of UNESCO (August 11,
2006). "UNESCO Director-General Launches "Heritage Alert" for the Middle East".
UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Jump up ^ El Corresponsal de Medio Oriente y Africa - Mlaga recupera su
pasado fenicio

Jump up ^ "Saint Christina of Tyre (July 24)". Official website of the Antiochian
Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.
Retrieved September 27, 2015.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tyre.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tyre.
360 Panorama of Tyre's Archeological Site
Lebanon, the Cedars' Land: Tyre
photo 2u
Tyre entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith with picture of Tyrian
silver shekel.
Alexander's Siege of Tyre at Ancient History Encyclopedia by Grant Nell
American University of Beirut (AUB) Museum team discovers first Phoenician
Temple in Tyre; only complete one in Lebanon
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:
Easton, Matthew George (1897). "article name needed". Easton's Bible Dictionary
(New and revised ed.). T. Nelson and Sons.

[show] v t e
Phoenician cities and colonies
[show] v t e
World Heritage Sites in Lebanon
[show] v t e
Third Journey of Paul the Apostle
[show] v t e
Lebanon articles
[show] v t e
Lebanon Archaeological sites in Lebanon
[show] v t e
Roman colonies in ancient Levant
[show] v t e

Ancient states and regions of the Levant

[show] v t e
Flag of Lebanon Tyre District, South Governorate
Categories: States and territories established in the 14th century BCStates and
territories disestablished in the 6th century BCTyre, LebanonTyre
DistrictPopulated coastal places in LebanonPhoenician citiesWorld Heritage Sites
in LebanonMediterranean port cities and towns in LebanonAmarna letters
locationsHebrew Bible citiesTorah citiesColoniae (Roman)Archaeological sites in
LebanonFormer islandsPhoenician sites in LebanonRoman sites in
LebanonPopulated places established in the 3rd millennium BCShia Muslim
communities in LebanonSunni Muslim communities in LebanonTourist attractions
in LebanonTourism in Lebanon3rd-millennium BC establishments in Asia
Navigation menu
Not logged inTalkContributionsCreate accountLog inArticleTalkReadEditView
historySearch

Search Wikipedia
Go
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools

What links here

Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Wikivoyage
Languages

Azrbaycanca

Bosanski
Brezhoneg
Catal
Cebuano
etina
Cymraeg

Dansk
Deutsch
Eesti

Espaol
Esperanto
Estremeu
Euskara

Franais
Gaeilge
Galego

Hrvatski
Bahasa Indonesia
slenska
Italiano

Kalaallisut
Kapampangan

Kaszbsczi
Kiswahili
Latina
Latvieu
Lietuvi
Magyar

Nederlands

Norsk bokml
Norsk nynorsk
Occitan
Ozbekcha/
Polski
Portugus
Romn

Scots
Sicilianu
Simple English
Slovenina
Slovenina
/
/ srpski
Srpskohrvatski /
Suomi
Svenska
Tagalog

Trke

Ting Vit

Edit links
This page was last modified on 9 January 2017, at 02:28.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policyAbout WikipediaDisclaimersContact WikipediaDevelopersCookie
statementMobile viewWikimedia Foundation Powered by MediaWiki