One of the most important cities of the ancient world. 83km south of Beirut, Tyre was founded after Sidon in the 3rd millennium BC. It originally consisted of a mainland settlement and an island city, but these were joined in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great with causeway which converted the island into a peninsula. The city contains three areas of great interest. The first is the Phoenician Island with remains of civic buildings, colonnades, public baths, and mosaic streets.

The second is an area consisting of the necropolis and the largest Roman hippodrome ever found here the ruins include a well-preserved road which passes through a monumental archway. It's lined on one side by an aqueduct, and on both sides there are hundreds of ornate, intricately-carved stone and marble sarcophagi. The hippodrome was built in the 2nd century AD, with seating for over 20,000 people.

The third site of interest is Tyre's Crusader cathedral. Located 6km south of Tyre is Ras Al-Ain, the city's main source of water since Phoenician days. Its artisan 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 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.

On the road to Cana (Qana Al-Jaleel) 6km Southeast of Tyre is a burial monument. This is the Tomb of Hiram, the celebrated Phoenician King of Tyre and the architect of the Temple of Jerusalem and the Palace of Solomon.

For more info please visit: Ministry of Tourism