Tyre (Tyros), Lebanon

Tyre is believed to have been founded as far back as 2750 BC according to Herodotus.

The merchants of Tyre are credited with being the pioneers of navigating the Mediterranean Sea, founding places such as Cadiz and Carthage on their nautical travels.

Tyre’s colourful history includes a dramatic episode in 332 BC, in which it was conquered by Alexander the Great following a siege lasting for seven months. During the siege a causeway was constructed under the orders of Alexander, linking the island that formed a part of Tyre , to the mainland.

The famous Tyrian purple dye was produced in Tyre and was made using the mucous membranes of the murex shellfish (type of sea snail). This extremely precious dye was reserved in ancient times only for use by royalty, or some fortunate members of the nobility.

The end of the crusades finally witnessed Tyre ’s historical role start to decline.

Tyre was included in 1984 on the UNESCO World Heritage Site listings.