Tire is also an important religious center, where the first Christian communities emerged. The city is also mentioned in the Bible as one of the places where Jesus Christ visited, here he performed the first miracle. Since 1979, Tire has been protected by UNESCO as a city that is one of the world's treasures.

Now the old part of Tire is located on the peninsula, and the new one is on the mainland. There are not many hotels in the city (about 2-3), but tourists have no problems with settling, there are enough places for everyone. Prices for hotel rooms are quite reasonable.

Tourists are mainly attracted by the ruins of Tire from the period of the Roman Empire. The Roman road leading to the Arc de Triomphe, which was the entrance to the city in Roman times, has been perfectly preserved to this day. There are many sarcophagi carved in stone and marble on either side of the road along the way. And one of the sides of the road is accompanied by an aqueduct. In the 2nd century. On the territory of Tire, a hippodrome was built, the ruins of which are well preserved. An arts festival is held every summer at the hippodrome. During the time of the Roman Empire, the hippodrome could hold 20,000 spectators, and its length is 480 meters.

In Tire, it is also worth seeing the Eshmun Palace, the Colosseum, two ports from the time of King Hiram, the ruins of a crusader temple.

Perhaps the most picturesque part of Tire is the fishing harbor: a quiet marina, an abundance of fishing boats, workshops where I make these boats using a technology that has been unchanged for several centuries. You can relax in one of the cafes or restaurants located in the harbor.

Walking from the fishing harbor towards the lighthouse, you will see the excavations of al-Mina. Be sure to take a walk here and get to know the city as it was many centuries ago. At the entrance there is a large shopping area of \u200b\u200bthe Roman Empire, passing through the square, on the main street you will see a theater. Once upon a time, water games were held here. The theater is a rectangular building with seating in five tiers and a cistern system around the theater. The theater is followed by a sports complex with baths, where wrestlers conducted training. A very interesting place is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, built in the 12th century. Now the foundation of the granite columns remains from it, and earlier the cathedral was the place of coronation of the rulers of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. According to some reports, the remains of Frederick Barbarossa, the outstanding German emperor, are buried here. During the existence of Phenicia, on the site of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, there was a temple of the god Melkart, who was considered the patron saint of Tyrus.

Every year, Tire hosts a festival featuring folklore performers from all over the Mediterranean. This festival is held on the ruins of a stadium from the times of the Roman Empire. If you want to learn more about the East, its culture, then you should definitely visit the Festival of Folklore Performers in Tire.

Attractions in the vicinity of Thira

According to the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ performed his first great miracle, turning water into wine, at weddings in Cana. There is still a lively debate about the location of the biblical city of Cana, but Lebanese people are sure that a miracle happened in the town of Cana, located 10 km southeast of Tire. Of course, there is no evidence of the miraculous transformation of drinks, but the main attraction of the village, the Cana Cave, is quite worthy of attention. It is believed that this is where Jesus spent the night before the miracle. On the way to the cave, pay attention to the ancient wall bas-reliefs carved into the rock, depicting the life of the Savior (The cave is allowed from 8 am until sunset, entrance costs 4000 LBP for adults and 2000 LBP for children).

Continuing the path for another 18 km, you can reach the town of Tibnin to admire the 12th century Crusader castle, built on a hill in the center of the city. In clear weather, the castle walls offer breathtaking views of the fields, mountains and coastline.

Food

Fast food establishments "cluster" on the busy Abu Deeb street. The ubiquitous falafel and shawarma are served here; The most popular local snack bar is called “Abu Deeb”. For something more substantial, we recommend going to the "Tanit" restaurant near the fishing port. Their specialties are a huge amount of meze, steaks and a bar with foreign spirits loved by NATO soldiers. Another pleasant option is called "Tyros" - delicious food at affordable prices, and live music on Saturdays. For the purpose of dinner "with pomp" you have a direct road to the "Little Phoenician", which is in the old port - there is a "trick" there - delicious fish dishes and an open terrace above the old pier.

Accommodation

In Tire, it is especially not customary to stop at night - it is quite possible to see archaeological sites during daylight hours. However, for excavation fans there are several accommodation options that are especially handy if you decide to head to Sidon the next morning. The most pompous hotel bears the unpretentious name "Rest House" and offers spacious modern rooms, an excellent restaurant, a cozy bar, two outdoor pools and a private sandy beach for 140-170 USD (there are also "suites" for 400 USD). The option is simpler, but no less charming - the hotel-restaurant "Al-Fanar". There is a homely atmosphere here, delicious traditional dishes are prepared and they are asked to pay a democratic 70-90 USD per night.

Transport

Given the small size of Tyr, it can be easily bypassed on foot. If by the end of the day you get tired of walking, a taxi is at your service. Meters in Tire have not been heard of since the time of Queen Elissa, so the amount of payment should be discussed with the driver before getting into the taxi.

How to get to Tire

The easiest way to get to Tire is by car from Beirut - buses, minibuses and "service" route taxis operate on the route. The bus trip will take from one to one and a half hours and cost 3000 LBP; they depart every 15 minutes from 5 am to 9 pm from the Cola transport station in the Lebanese capital. Minibuses from Beirut "hobble" for one to two hours, depending on the skills of the driver; the fare will cost 2000-3000 LBP. "Service" is the fastest way to get to Tire. Cars start off as soon as all seats are full; fare - 10-15 thousand LBP.

A trip to Tire can be combined with a visit to Sidon - buses run between the two cities, travel time is about 30-45 minutes, the trip will cost 1,500 LBP.

Story

Tire is the mother of the Phoenician peoples. One legend tells about the foundation of the city. The appearance of Tire is associated with the Phoenician god Melkart, who was the son of the goddess Astarte. According to legend, it was at the birthplace of Melkart that the ancient Phoenician city was founded. The same legend says that even before the appearance of the first settlement on the site of Tire, this small piece of land freely moved around the Mediterranean Sea. Later, by order of Melkar, they found the place where he was born and sacrificed an eagle, when the blood of a majestic bird fell on the rocks of the island, the island stopped at a distance of about 800 meters from the coast. In the 28th century BC, the inhabitants of the town built a temple in honor of Melqart, in gratitude for this he allowed the townspeople to colonize a fairly large section of the Mediterranean coast. In front of the entrance to the temple, there were two columns of pure gold, each 9 meters high. On the territory of the temple they walked barefoot, every day there was a ritual of sacrifice, which was accompanied by dances.

In the 6th century BC, Tire was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's army, but the conquerors did not achieve their goal, they wanted to get gold, jewelry, and most of the inhabitants managed to collect all their property with them and move to the island near Tire. A new Tire was built there. The mainland, next to which these two islands were located, was for them a protection from storms. In the 9th century BC. the islands were connected by an isthmus with the mainland by order of King Hiram, thereby forming an artificial cape. During the time of Alexander the Great, the isthmus was destroyed, and in its place a pier was built, which was much larger than the isthmus. The Macedonian personally poured the first two buckets of sand into the base of the dam. All dam construction work was done manually. Cedar trunks brought from the mountains of Lebanon were hammered into the bottom of the sea, and in order to fully provide the residents with building materials, they were forced to demolish their houses. Thus, the island eventually turned into a peninsula. By the way, it is worth noting that Tire is the only city that did not surrender to Alexander the Great without a fight, the inhabitants preferred a bloody war to a humiliating world and, as best they could, fought for the honor of their native city. Some details of the battles and examples of the heroic deeds of the inhabitants that have survived to this day are known. When the ships of Alexander the Great anchored, thereby blocking the harbor, the inhabitants of Tire swam to them and cut the ropes of the anchors. After this incident, by order of Alexander the Great, the ropes were replaced with anchor chains on all ships. The siege lasted seven months, after which Alexander the Great seized power into his own hands. A significant part of the population of Tire was killed, but those who managed to survive were soon sold into slavery. It was during the reign of Alexander the Great that Lebanese cedar became a rare tree, this was due to the fact that Alexander, in addition to building a dam, also used cedar in the manufacture of ships, cedar forests were massively cut down. During the time of Phenicia, Tire was famous for its glass and fabrics. The traders of Tire conducted a peaceful expansion of the Mediterranean in order to find sources of raw materials and markets for their products. It is Tire that is the first city where they began to use money - minted coins. The development of the city was influenced by the influence of Phenicia. The shooting gallery developed quite quickly. A number of sea expeditions across the Mediterranean began from Tire, including to Spain and beyond Gibraltar. In the 18th century, the city became one of the most important suppliers of building materials for the entire Mediterranean coast. At different times, the city was in the power of different countries and rulers, experienced many events, in memory of which there are interesting monuments, temples, ruins, etc.

The ancient city of Tire. Its history is full of heroism and tragedy. Tire was the only city that, unlike other Phoenician cities, did not surrender to Alexander the Great. The people of Tire chose a brutal war over a humiliating world. The consequences of insane courage were dire. The once crowded streets are empty. The city has turned into the kingdom of the dead.

Various legends circulated about the founding of Tire. The Phoenicians themselves called their city Tzor, "rock", as it was on a rocky island. Astarte found a star falling from the sky here and gave birth to the sea god Melkart, the future patron saint of Tyr. Legends say that before the founding of the first settlement, this tiny piece of land roamed the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Melqart, who taught the Canaanites to build ships, ordered people to find their place of birth. There they had to sacrifice an eagle that fought with a serpent. As soon as the eagle's blood sprinkled on the rocks, the island instantly stopped. It happened eight hundred meters from the coast. Since then, the Tyrian sailors began to donate ship anchors to Melkart, the "sea baal". In the XXVIII century BC. the townspeople erected a temple in his honor. Before him stood two nine-meter columns of pure gold. The priests walked barefoot across the temple grounds. The daily sacrifices were accompanied by ritual dances. In gratitude, Melqart allowed the inhabitants of the city to colonize the vast Mediterranean coast.

The citizens of the colonies and the metropolis, in turn, ascribed to their patron the creation of everything that they especially valued. According to legend, it was Melqart who taught people to get purple-bearing molluscs from the bottom of the sea. After the body of the mollusk dried in the sun, a droplet of bright liquid remained in the shell. The droplets were collected. They were used to make dye, which was used to dye the fabric. Its cost was incredibly high: only kings and their entourage could afford to buy a cut for a tunic. Phoenician merchants supplied purple to the Greeks and Romans, who were convinced that their mainland was called Europe thanks to the Phoenician daughter of the Tyrian king Agenore. As you know, a bull with sad eyes kidnapped Europe when she was walking on the Tyrian coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

In the X century BC. King Hiram rebuilt the city's main sanctuary. It was surrounded by accommodations for pilgrims. In a dream, Melkart came to them. His prophecies about the future were deciphered by Tyrian interpreters of dreams. The gods then did not realize that just a few centuries later Phenicia would be visited by a descendant of Hercules and Achilles, Zeus's son, at whose birth Artemis herself was present. This son was Alexander III, better known as Alexander the Great. Before the start of the campaign, he went to Delphi to Apollo to listen to his thoughts on the upcoming action. It was winter, and Apollo, as you know, flew away to winter away from Delphi. The oracles were silent. So there was no one to ask about the future. Alexander tried to drag the Apollo priestess into the temple so that she predicted the fate of the Asian campaign. The priestess, fighting back, cried out: "Oh, Alexander, do you think you are invincible?" The last word calmed the Macedonian king, and with a light heart he moved to the East to recapture the cities once lost by the Greeks. In the spring of 334 BC. army of long-haired, short-legged, smooth-shaven and sweet smelling of oils, Alexander treacherously, without declaring war, attacked the Persians. The Macedonian started the war practically beggars. After the first battle, the Persian king Darius promised Alexander to pay as much as the inhabitants of all Macedonia could not carry away. Alexander refused. He had already decided to conquer the Phoenician cities, which provided ships and crews for the Persian navy. It was very easy to do this, since the city-states, competing with each other in the Mediterranean markets, were at war with each other. Byblos gave up at once. This city hoped to restore its former power with the help of Alexander. Then Sidon surrendered. Its inhabitants believed that under the new ruler, they would finally see Tyr kneeling. Alexander's advance southward from Sidon was briefly halted by the Tyrian ambassadors. They placed a golden wreath on the head of the conqueror of Phenicia and declared their readiness to submit to the will of the king. Alexander asked the ambassadors to convey to the Tyrians that he wanted to make sacrifices to Melqart in the temple on the island. The Tyrians advised the Macedonian to make a sacrifice in Paletir, that is, in Old Tire, a city on the mainland. The commander could not bear such an insult. One of the longest and most stubborn sieges in the history of war began. Alexander the Great decided to connect the island with the mainland with a dam. He first poured two buckets of sand into its base. The inhabitants of Palethir were forced to demolish their own houses so that the dam did not know a lack of building materials. Everything was done by hand, without horse traction. Cedar trunks were dragged from the mountains of Lebanon, which were driven into the seabed. This was the beginning of the predatory extermination of the Phoenician forests. Alexander built his fleet from cedar and was so carried away that this tree is still a rarity in Lebanon. Before the arrival of the Macedonians, the mountain slopes of Phenicia were covered with lush vegetation.

The dam to the island was pulled for seven months, exactly the same amount of forty thousand inhabitants of Tire held out. In July 332 BC. troops broke into the city. 6 thousand Phoenicians were slaughtered, 13 thousand were sold into slavery. For the edification of the disobedient, 2,000 defenders were nailed to the crosses. The crosses stood along the main road, and the bodies were not removed from them for several weeks. Those who died during the storming of the Macedonians (there were about four hundred of them) were buried according to the rite described by Homer in the Iliad: the bodies were burned, the bones were washed with wine, wrapped in purple and laid in a tomb along with weapons. This is how Homer's Patroclus and Hector were buried.

From Tire the Macedonian set out to conquer Egypt. This country attracted Alexander irresistibly. The peoples of the Mediterranean regarded it as the cradle of their most respected and most ancient culture. The Egyptians welcomed the king as a liberator from the Persian yoke. He was declared Pharaoh, the son of the sun god Ra. The new ruler ordered to build a temple in Karnak with a sanctuary in his honor.

In 331 BC. the victorious army returned to Phenicia. Alexander set up a court camp in Tire. The Tsar was visited by architects, painters, sculptors, writers, philosophers, historians, and poets. Relatives of the defeated Phoenician aristocrats, the most noble of the hetaers, lived in Tire. Tribute flowed to the city from the cities that had already been conquered, here, under the chairmanship of Alexander, the court was held, ambassadors of foreign powers were received here. Since the beginning of the campaign, no more than two years have passed, a third of the world was conquered, and Alexander decided to give the troops a break from military affairs. Idleness sucked in. Alexander fought with her as best he could. He organized sports games like the Greek Olympics. Particularly popular were chariot races, pentathlon, wrestling and fist fighting. Comic battles were played out between "friends" and "enemies". The "friends", led by the king, invariably won, although this did not give the commander much pleasure. The soldiers smeared him with sheep dung, put him on a donkey and passed by, singing obscene songs. Theater Olympiads were often held in Tire. Actors from Italy, Asia Minor, Greece came here. They read poetry, put on Euripides and Sophocles. The soldiers preferred hilarious actors. With leather phalluses, they beat women, committed theatrical violence against them, urinated and relieved themselves, masturbated right in front of the audience. The actresses performed something like a cancan, exposing everything that the public wanted to see. Alexander believed that such a "front-line theater" helps soldiers get rid of fear and homesickness. In May 331 BC. the thirst for adventure led Alexander further east from Tire.

Having created a huge empire, the great conqueror died either from swamp fever, or from a severe hangover, or from poisoning. After his death, his empire fell apart. Phenicia was ruled by one of the generals of Alexander the Great - Seleucus. By this time, the Greeks made up a significant part of the population of Phenicia. They brought with them technical progress, succeeded in building roads, laying reliable water pipes, and introducing a unified monetary system. In short, they planted civilization here. The Greek language has spread everywhere. And who knows, Christianity would have gone beyond the borders of Judea, it would have become a world religion without the mediating mission of the Greek language, without the bloody conquests of Alexander III, better known as Alexander the Great.

Buses from Beirut to Sidon (Saida) leave from the bus station at Cola intersection, depart as soon as they are full, usually 5-15 minutes. The ticket price to Sidon is 1000-1500 Lebanese pounds. Travel time is just over 1 hour.

Sidon (Saida, as the locals call it), the third largest city in Lebanon, is located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, 40 km south of Beirut. In ancient times, Sidon was one of the main Phoenician cities, and possibly the oldest. Sidon was often conquered and he passed from hand to hand: Assyrians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks and, finally, the Romans. Herod the Great, Saint Paul and Jesus Christ, as stated in the Bible, visited this city. Later, the city was conquered first by the Arabs, and then by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire.

In the reports of travelers, I read that Sidon is a very pleasant city and many even spent 2-3 days there, but half a day was enough for me to see the most interesting. I especially liked the old town, which stretches between Sea Castle and St. Louis Castle. The old town is a labyrinth of narrow streets, where life is still in full swing and it is interesting to walk along which you can even get lost. These streets are home to souvenir shops, workshops, mini shops and pastry shops with pastries prepared according to old recipes. There is also a picturesque old market (Old Souk) in the old town. I wandered these streets for almost two hours.

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On December 4, 1110, Sidon was captured by the crusaders and became the capital of Senoria Sidon - the state of the crusaders. The Arabs, under the leadership of Saladin, recaptured the city in 1187, but after another 10 years the German crusaders regained power over the city. Sidon remained an important city for the Crusaders until it was completely destroyed by the Saracens in 1249, and then again by the Mongols (can you imagine where the Mongols went ??) in 1260.
In the 13th century during the reign of the Crusaders in Sidon: on a small island near the coast, the Sea Castle was built, which in our time has become the main attraction of the city. Since then, the castle has been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, the castle has survived to this day in a dilapidated state, but tourists can inspect it and imagine how it looked 800 years ago.

12) Sea Castle in Sidon (entrance fee, 3000 pounds).

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15) View of the old town from the side of the castle

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After seeing the main attractions in Sidon, I immediately drove further south along the coast to Tire. The bus can be caught almost anywhere on the main road that runs along the coast, I did it right outside the Crusader castle. Buses stop on their own and almost all of them go south to Tire or north to Beirut, depending on which side of the road to stand. The fare is around £ 1,000 or £ 1,500. From Sidon to Tire, about 40 km or about an hour by bus.

Tyre, or as the locals call it, Syr, is one of the oldest Phoenician cities, from where the Phoenician "conquest of the Mediterranean" began. Tyr is the birthplace of the legendary Europe, which Zeus abducted from there in the form of a bull. This fact alone shows how rich the historical heritage of this city is. According to Herodotus, Tire appeared as a city in 2750 BC. and in ancient times was surrounded by huge (46 meters high) walls.
Only Roman ruins have survived to our time, which are now the main attraction of Tire. The Roman Hippodrome was inscribed on the UNESKO World Heritage List at number 299 in 1984.

18) Roman Hippodrome

The Roman Hippodrome is part of an archaeological reserve called Al Bass Archaeological Site. Its territory is very large, you can easily spend a couple of hours walking along the ancient ruins. The entrance to the territory is paid (about 5-6 thousand pounds), but it is definitely worth it, since Al Bass, the second most beautiful and interesting Roman ruins in Lebanon, after Baalbek. The Roman ruins are located a little away from the city center, it will take 20-30 minutes on foot to get there, but if you do not know where they are exactly, it is better to take a taxi for 5000 pounds. In addition to the already mentioned hippodrome, the territory of the reserve includes the Arc de Triomphe, the Roman paved road and the Roman Necropolis with a large number of ancient sarcophagi. The necropolis is the first thing that tourists meet at the entrance.

19) Necropolis and many surviving sarcophagi

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Roman paved road and Arc de Triomphe
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The Roman Hippodrome was built in the 2nd century AD. and accommodated up to 40 thousand people. The hippodrome is 90 meters wide and 480 meters long.
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Walking through the ancient Roman ruins is an intense sensation. Imagine how gladiators once fought and Roman chariots competed in speed at this very hippodrome, and patricians in white robes sat in the stands. I love places like this.

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40) Roman Mosaic

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If you leave the territory of the ruins and go to the old city along the sea, you can see another Roman ruins (for an entrance fee of 3000 pounds). Roman columns go almost into the sea. A picture of a huge Roman (or Greek?) Temple right on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea is immediately drawn in my head.

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Modern Tire (Sur) is the fourth largest country and one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon, just a couple of tens of kilometers from the Israeli border. Lebanon and Israel are separated by the UN2000 Blue Line demarcation border, and it is not an official border. In Tire, the presence of a huge number of UN soldiers belonging to UNIFIL (The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), which were introduced back in 1978, is noticeable. In addition, there are many military checkpoints and individual Hezbollah checkpoints on the roads. Tire is mostly populated by Shiites, so the Hezbollah movement is very popular here, their yellow-green flags are hung everywhere. It is in this region that armed conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel often occur, so some kind of tension is constantly felt. But at the same time, the people are quite friendly, they often want to talk, they are interested in where they came from, if I like them. The most common phrase that I have heard is "My brother is married to a Russian / Ukrainian woman."
It was only in Tire that I first began to hear the traditional Arabic greeting Salam Aleikum, unlike, for example, Bshare, where everyone says Bonjour to each other.

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From the square where buses stop and taxi drivers stand, you can go through narrow streets to Tira Beach, where people even come from Beirut to relax, because it is considered one of the cleanest and most beautiful in the country. There are many cozy cafes and restaurants on these streets.

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46) Road along the beach

47) A lighthouse with a gorgeous view of the sunset.

After walking around Tire, already at sunset, I set off back to Beirut.

Other reports from the Lebanon travel series.

Shooting gallery ancient Phoenician city state on the eastern Mediterranean coast. Ancient city Shooting gallery was formed in the 3rd millennium BC. Its founders were the Phoenicians. Today, at a distance of 20 kilometers from its outskirts, the Lebanese border with Israel is located. Tire is believed to be the first Phoenician settlement. According to an old legend, the city was founded on the area where the god Melqart was born. According to ancient legend, before the settlement of the territory of present-day Tire, there was a small island in its place, freely moving along the Mediterranean Sea. Over time, an eagle was sacrificed at the birthplace of the Phoenician god. After the drops of blood fell on the island, he stopped his movement.

In the 28th century BC, a temple was erected in Tire in honor of Melqart. In front of the entrance were two columns made of gold. The height of each of them reached 9 meters. Every day, in the halls of the temple, a ritual of sacrifice was performed, which was accompanied by dances. In the premises, it was allowed to walk only barefoot. In the 6th century BC, the city was captured by the troops of Nebuchadnezzar in order to rob the ancient settlement. But the inhabitants of the city managed to escape to an island located near Tire, where they built a new city with the same name.

In the 9th century BC, the island territories were connected to the mainland by an isthmus by order of King Hiram. As a result, an artificial cape was formed. During the conquests of Alexander the Great, the isthmus was destroyed, replacing it with a pier. The great commander himself took part in its construction. It is known that the first two buckets of sand were poured into the base of the dam. All construction work was done by hand. Due to the lack of raw materials, the townspeople were forced to demolish their own homes. Over time, the island turned into a peninsula.

Shooting gallery - was the only city that did not voluntarily surrender to Alexander the Great. The townspeople fought bravely against the enemy who attacked them. The invaders were forced to attack the city for a long 7 months. After the capture of Tire, most of the townspeople were destroyed, the survivors were taken into slavery.

In the era of Alexander the Great, Tyr was famous for its cedar, which was used to build a dam and ships. During the Phenician times, the city was famous for its glass and textile makers. For the first time, minted coins were used on its territory. Over the entire period of its existence, Tire has repeatedly changed its rulers from different countries. Temples, historical monuments and ancient ruins of ancient buildings are witnesses of those events.

On the basis of archaeological and written sources, the monograph reconstructs the history of Tyra, the social structure and culture of the city, its place among other ancient cities and the role in the life of the tribes of the North-Western Black Sea region for a millennium.

One of the most famous ancient Phoenician cities and one of the largest commercial centers of the Ancient World, the city of Tire was founded in the 28th century BC. Today this city is known as Sur and is located on the territory of modern Lebanon. According to the Phoenician legend, the city of Tire was built by the navigator god Usos, who swam on a log to the island on which he built an altar.

References in ancient sources regarding Tire and its inhabitants can be found in the chronicles of Ancient Egypt, and in other important historical documents of Antiquity. Tire was originally an important port and trading city that traded with many countries in the region, including Ancient Egypt. Also, the overwhelming majority of the Phoenician colonies in the western Mediterranean were the colonies of Tire (including Cadiz and Carthage).

The well-being of Tire constantly aroused the envy of the rulers of the powerful empires of the Ancient World, and as a result, Assyrian, Babylonian, Jewish, Persian and Egyptian troops constantly besieged it. These constant wars and sieges led to a decrease in Tyr's power in the region and a weakening of his power in the colonies.

During the rise of Ancient Greece, Tire became an important educational and scientific center, retaining this status during the period of Ancient Rome. Tire also entered the history of Christianity as one of the first Christian cities; here for a short period of time the Apostle Paul lived and preached.

Sources: guide.travel.ru, tochka-na-karte.ru, www.bookarchive.ru, sredizemnomor.ru, interpretive.ru

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By the way, why Tyr? The modern Arabic name of the city is Sur, but for some reason both in Russia and in the West it is called by the ancient Phoenician name, while in the case of Sidon the modern Arabic name Sayda stuck.
From Saida to Tire - 40 kilometers. A minibus (2 thousand lire) covers this distance in an hour, along the coastal highway with a couple of checkpoints - the second is already at the entrance to the city itself, with a propaganda poster depicting a recognizable uncle with a goatee and an inscription (in English), which he translated as "Uncle Sam, don't bury yourself! ":)

Tire in ancient times was one of the largest Phoenician city-states, apparently arose in the 4th millennium BC. Natives of Tire established numerous colonies throughout the Mediterranean, including Carthage and Hades. At various times the city was under the rule of Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Achaemenids, but retained its autonomy. In 332 BC. the city after a long siege was taken and destroyed by Alexander the Great. Then he was part of the powers of his successors, the Ptolemies and Seleucids. In 64 BC. became a part of the Roman state, was the capital of the Phoenician province of Syria. In Byzantium, Tire was the center of the archbishopric. In 635, the Arabs conquered it and built a fleet here, with which they captured Cyprus. During the Crusades, Tire became a real symbol of resistance to the crusaders - they captured it only in 1124, after a couple of sieges. And they held it until 1291. In modern Lebanon, Tire has fallen to the fate of a "border city". Tire is now one of the strongholds of Hezbollah.


You can feel it immediately - driving through the streets, hung with "Hezbol" flags (in the complete absence of Lebanese ones), portraits of Sheikh Nasrallah, his entourage, young heroes of the fight against Zionism.


When you get off the minibus in the market, the Hezbollah battle marches immediately hit your ears over the noise of the Arab bazaar, coming from the speakers at the door of the shop selling the corresponding symbols. So, if in Lebanon you are interested in "Hezbol" exoticism, then it is not in Baalbek, but in Tire.


Due to the abundance of Hezbollah, the Lebanese army in Tire is not as visible as in Beirut, Tripoli and Saida - only one APC has seen. Much more often on the streets we came across white UN jeeps with blue-colored Latin American peacekeepers - they looked a little haunted :)


What else can you see in Tire? The remains of the ancient city, which are even included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, are completely undeserved, in my opinion. They are presented in a pair of archaeological zones - Al-Bass and Al-Mina (entrance - 6 thousand lire each).


Such are the archaeological sites with various obscure columns and heaps of stones with tablets.


Tire itself is located on a peninsula protruding into the Mediterranean Sea - so they are in Tire from three sides at once.


When entering the city, the minibus first stops at the Al-Bass ring, and most of the passengers get off here. Nearby is the vast Palestinian camp of Al-Bass. It is not surrounded by any wall - just half-slum-like city quarters, decorated in some places with Palestinian flags and portraits of Arafat. Behind the camp is the archaeological zone of the same name.


Then the bus drives along a long embankment with heavy traffic - to the Al-Mina ring. Here is the local bass stand combined with a bitch. The local freshennice makes the best juices in all of Lebanon - orange in real Syrian large mugs cost 3,000 lire.
From the ring, go a little south - and there will be the archaeological zone of Al-Mina.


On the other hand, it seems like old quarters with mosques.


At the very end of the peninsula are the former Christian quarters with a lighthouse.