Tyre, Lebanon

greetings,

this is my final entry from my time in Lebanon.  i spent my last full day exploring the south of the country, these pictures are from Tyre, founded around 2750 BC.  one of the things it is best known for was the production of the Tyrian Purple dye from the shellfish in the region.  Alexander the Great laid siege to the ancient city by building a causeway to the island for 7 months by dismantling the old city to build the causeway.
the remains are some of the largest Roman and Byzantine in the country, the hippodrome is the largest remains of its type in the world.  Tyre was the farthest south i went in the country, i met many great people on this trip to Lebanon, everyone i met was kind and generous, regardless of their religious affiliation.
i am so sorry for the recent upheaval that has spilled over from Syria into this great country, hoping that the region can find peace sooner than later.
i hope this finds you all well.
take care,
karengrace

entrance to the ruins

these are the views of the hippodrome

the view of the triumph from the Roman side of the ruins

the view of the arc from the Byzantine side

remains of the train tracks that were destroyed in the 15 year war

more train tracks, there are no more trains in the country

remains of the aqua duct structure, the water was gravity fed from 3 spring fed lakes in the area 

the doorways that ran under the hippodrome, there are about 440

holes where horses were once tied up

2000 year old human remains

sarcophagi

remnants of the Byzantine church, many mosaics are throughout the ruins

sarcophagi

Alexander the Great on a sarcophagus

more mosaics

many sarcophagi  

these were the various stones set at the entrance to each community, instructing people as to who the various local government officials were

store in the town of Tyre