Sidon or Saida is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. Tyre to the south and Lebanese capital Beirut to the north are both about 40 kilometres away. Sidon has a population of about 80,000 within city limits, while its metropolitan area has more than a quarter-million inhabitants.
Sidon's Sea Castle
Persian style bull protome found in Sidon gives testimony of the Achaemenid rule and influence. Marble, 5th century BC
Tomb of the Mourning Women, Hellenistic necropolis of Sidon, now in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums
Sidon Sea Castle, built by the Crusaders in AD 1228
Tyre is a city in Lebanon, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, though in medieval times for some centuries by just a small population. It was one of the earliest Phoenician metropolises and the legendary birthplace of Europa, her brothers Cadmus and Phoenix, as well as Carthage's founder Dido (Elissa). The city has many ancient sites, including the Tyre Hippodrome, and was added as a whole to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984. The historian Ernest Renan noted that "One can call Tyre a city of ruins, built out of ruins".
Image: Submerged Egyptian Harbour Tyre Sour Lebanon Roman Deckert 04112019
Image: NASA International Space Station Tyre Sur Lebanon 01032003 ISS006 E 31938
Rocky islands off Tyre
A 22° halo over Al Mina site, 2019
