Tyre, Lebanon

Tyre is a city in Lebanon and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It was an important Phoenician metropolis and is famous as the legendary birthplace of Europa, her brothers Cadmus and Phoenix, and Dido, the founder of Carthage. The city has many ancient sites, such as the Tyre Hippodrome, and was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Today, Tyre is the fifth-largest city in Lebanon after Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon, and Baalbek. It is the capital of the Tyre District in the South Governorate. In 2016, about 200,000 people lived in the city, including many refugees. Tyre is home to three of Lebanon’s twelve Palestinian refugee camps: Burj El Shimali, El Buss, and Rashidieh.

Territory

Tyre is a city along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about 80 km (50 mi) south of Beirut. It started as two parts: the main city on an island just a short distance from the shore, and a nearby settlement called Ushu on the mainland, later known as Palaetyrus, meaning "Old Tyre" in Ancient Greek. The city had two ports, one called the "Sidonian port" and another the "Egyptian port."

Over time, the city grew and expanded onto land built by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE. Today, Tyre covers much of the original island and the built-up land. The area has plenty of fresh water from nearby springs and the Litani River. The city sits near geological faults, and while earthquakes have happened in the past, the risk is generally low. However, there are concerns about possible tsunamis caused by undersea earthquakes.

Etymology

Early names for the city of Tyre include Ṣurru in Akkadian, Ṣūr in Phoenician, and Ṣōr in Hebrew. In Semitic languages, the name might mean "rock," referring to the rocky area where the city was first built.

The name Týros was used in Classical Greek, first appearing in the writings of Herodotus, and later became Tyrus in Latin. This name entered English during the Middle English period as "Tyre." People from Tyre are called Tyrians.

Climate

Tyre has a Hot-summer mediterranean climate, which means it has long, dry summers from May to October. The city enjoys plenty of sunshine, with about 300 sunny days each year. Temperatures are warm, reaching around 30.8 °C (87.5 °F) in August and dropping to about 10 °C (50 °F) in January. The area receives around 645 mm (25½ inches) of rain each year.

The sea around Tyre stays quite warm, with water temperatures ranging from 17 °C (63 °F) in February to 32 °C (90 °F) in August. However, rising sea levels caused by global warming are causing problems for the coast, leading to erosion in some areas.

History

Main article: History of Tyre, Lebanon

The ancient city of Tyre is found along the coast of Phoenicia in modern-day Lebanon. People have lived there since the Bronze Age. It grew into an important Phoenician city-state between the 9th and 6th centuries BC. From there, the Tyrians settled other places around the Mediterranean Sea, such as Carthage and Leptis Magna.

Later, Tyre was ruled by the Persians and then conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. Many important buildings from the time of the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Medieval periods still stand today. Because of these ancient remains, Tyre was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Coast Nature Reserve

Tyre is known for having some of the cleanest beaches and waters in Lebanon. However, the water can be dirty because of waste being dumped, especially near the port. There is also a lot of solid waste that pollutes the area.

The Tyre Coast Nature Reserve was created in 1998. It is a long, sandy area that is almost 4 kilometers (about 2.5 miles) from end to end and covers over 380 hectares (almost 940 acres). This reserve is one of the best-protected sandy coastlines in southern Lebanon. It has a sandy beach for visitors and a special area where sea turtles and birds can live safely. Many different plants and animals live there, including sea turtles, birds, and even dolphins sometimes seen in the water. Sadly, some animals in the reserve are decreasing in number, and new plants from other places have started growing there and causing problems. During a war in 2006 and an oil spill in 2021, the reserve was damaged.

Historical and cultural heritage

See also: Tyre ruins

The city of Tyre has a rich history, with many important discoveries made by archaeologists over the years. Early explorers began digging in the 1800s, and since then, many teams have uncovered pieces of the past. In 1984, Tyre was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO to protect its important history.

The city appears in many old stories and books. It was important to kings and leaders long ago, and it is mentioned in many religious writings. People have written plays, poems, and books about Tyre, showing how special it is. There are also stars and places in space named after Tyre, showing its lasting influence.

Cultural life

The first cinema in Tyre began in the late 1930s when a café owner started showing films on a wall. More cinemas followed, like the Roxy in 1939 and the Empire in 1942. By the mid-1950s, Tyre had four cinemas, and soon more opened nearby in Nabatieh. These places also hosted live shows with famous singers and actors, bringing people together.

Later, the Cinema Rivoli opened in 1959 and became very popular. It was visited by well-known figures such as Jean Marais, Brigitte Bardot, and others. More cinemas opened, like Dunia in 1964 and Al Hamra Cinema in 1966, which featured famous Arab performers. Two important Tyrian artists, Halim el-Roumi and Ghazi Kahwaji, helped shape Lebanese music. el-Roumi worked at Radio Lebanon and helped discover the singer Fairuz. Kahwaji was a designer for shows and also taught at universities.

Unfortunately, armed conflict hurt cultural life in Tyre. Some cinemas were damaged, and they all eventually closed by 1989. But in the mid-1990s, the Tyre International Festival began, held at the ancient Roman hippodrome. It featured international and Lebanese stars like Elton John and Sarah Brightman.

In 2006, Tyre’s first public library opened in an old building called Beit Daoud. In 2014, the Al Hamra Cinema was fixed up again, and in 2018, the Rivoli Cinema became a free theater for children and young people to learn arts. The theater also runs a "Mobile Peace Bus" with art to bring culture to nearby villages. In 2019, a short film called Manara, filmed in Tyre, won an award at a festival in Venice.

Education

There are many universities in Lebanon.

The Jafariya School was started in 1938 by Imam Abdul Hussein Sharafeddin. It grew quickly thanks to gifts from wealthy people living far away, and in 1946 it became a Secondary School, the first one in Southern Lebanon. It has been an important school in Tyre ever since.

A charity group linked to Imam Musa al-Sadr plays a big role in education in Tyre. This group, led by his sister Rabab al-Sadr since 1978, works mostly from a place near the sea just south of Tyre. They help orphans and also offer programs to teach adults useful skills, especially for young women, along with health and community projects.

Musa Sadr helped start the Islamic University of Lebanon, which opened a branch in Tyre in 1996.

The Lebanese Evangelical School in Tyre is one of the biggest schools in the town, with a history of over 150 years. Collège Élite, a French international school that opened in 1996, is also one of many private schools in Tyre. The Cadmous College, run by Maronite missionaries, teaches children from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 and has both Christian and Muslim students.

In August 2019, Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old from Tyre, earned a scholarship to study at Harvard but was sent away when he first arrived in Boston. He was allowed to return ten days later and began his studies.

Demographics

In 2014, Muslims made up most of the registered voters in Tyre, with Christians making up a smaller part. Many of the Muslims were Shiite, while others were Sunni. There were also some Greek Catholics living there.

Tyre has become a home for thousands of refugees from places like Palestine and Syria. These refugees often face difficult living conditions and have to compete for jobs, which can create tensions with local families. The city also has a noticeable community of people with ties to Western Africa, especially countries like Senegal and Nigeria. There are also many foreign workers, mostly women from Ethiopia, who work in homes.

Economy

The economy of Tyre mainly relies on tourism, building services, construction, and money sent home by people from Tyre living abroad, especially in West Africa.

The UN peacekeeping force helps the local economy by spending money and doing small projects like improving roads and public spaces.

Olive trees cover a large part of Tyre's farmland, but farmers need better ways to sell their products. Citrus fruits are also important, though some of the harvest goes to waste.

Tyre has an important port, though it is smaller than ports in Beirut, Tripoli, and Sidon. After a big explosion in Beirut in 2020, the government decided to use Tyre's port to help with goods that would normally go through Tripoli.

In the harbor area, a family named Barbour keeps building wooden boats, one of the few places in the Mediterranean still doing this. However, they are having a hard time keeping their business going.

Land prices in Tyre have been rising fast, mainly because of money sent home by people from Tyre living abroad.

Off the coast, a big area called block 9 has been given to a group of companies from France, Italy, and Russia to look for natural gas deep under the water.

Sports

Tadamon Sour Sporting Club, often called Tadamon, was founded in 1946 and is the oldest football club in Tyre. They play at the Tyre Municipal Stadium and have won one Lebanese FA Cup and two Lebanese Challenge Cups. Their rivals, Salam Sour Sports Club, are also from Tyre.

In 2001, Tadamon faced allegations about match-fixing and lost their league title that year. That same year, a talented player named Roda Antar from their youth team was loaned to a team in Germany for two seasons. After playing in Germany, China, and returning to Tadamon, he finished his career there. Several players from Tyre have also played for the Lebanon national team.

Twin towns – sister cities

Tyre has several twin towns and sister cities around the world. It is twinned with:

• Algiers, Algeria
• Dezful, Iran
• Málaga, Spain
• Perpignan, France
• Tunis, Tunisia^{[citation needed]}

Notable people

Tyre has been home to many important people throughout history. Some of the well-known figures include Hiram I, a Biblical King of Tyre, and Europa, a Phoenician Princess of Tyre. Other notable individuals are Dido, the founder-heroine of Carthage, and William of Tyre, a historian and Archbishop of Tyre. The city has also produced philosophers, mathematicians, and leaders who have made their mark in various fields.