There is news coming from the south of Lebanon that touches the heart of those who view the Mediterranean as a cradle of civilization and beauty: the ancient city of Tyre has been officially inscribed by UNESCO among the World Heritage in Danger sites.
The announcement arrived from Busan, in South Korea, during the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee. The decision, urged by the Lebanese authorities, comes after the site has suffered direct impacts and damages, fueling strong concern for the safeguarding of its millennial treasures.
City of Tyre among endangered World Heritage sites
Located just twenty kilometers from the border with Israel, along the southern Lebanese coast, Tyre represents one of the most fascinating milestones in Mediterranean memory. A must-visit for those who love archaeology and the layering of ancient civilizations, the city houses two UNESCO-protected areas, celebrated for remains from Roman times such as the great triumphal arch and the second-century hippodrome.
An extraordinary heritage that today finds itself at the center of hostilities: since the start of operations against Hezbollah in March, the city has been shaken by a continuous series of raids, culminating in June with the direct damage to one of the monument complexes and the near-total depopulation of its neighborhoods. As UNESCO stated, “Its state of conservation raises growing concerns, particularly regarding the possibility of new impacts.”
Tyre, unfortunately, is not an isolated case in the Middle East: for months tensions have tested the area’s invaluable heritage, as in the case of the 29 UNESCO sites at risk in Iran.
What the Tyre archaeological site contains
Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1984, Tyre represents a symbolic place in the history of humanity. Founded, according to tradition, in 2750 BCE, this legendary Phoenician metropolis long dominated Mediterranean maritime trade, giving rise to celebrated colonies such as Cadiz and Carthage. It is here that, according to myth, the precious Tyrian purple was discovered, the regal pigment extracted from mollusks that made the city famous across the ancient world, just as here were sent the master craftsmen commissioned by King Hiram to erect Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.
Originally built on an island considered impregnable, before Alexander the Great linked it to the mainland with an imposing causeway to conquer it, Tyre gradually transformed through the centuries into a city that was Greek and then Roman, until its historical role declined at the end of the Crusades.
Today, the site is divided into two large sectors: the maritime zone on the peninsula and the spectacular El Bass archaeological area. Between the land and the waters that guard part of the submerged ruins, the remains of Roman baths, the 12th-century Venetian cathedral, the colonnaded street, and the monumental triumphal arch of the 2nd century AD emerge. Not far away stretches the Roman Hippodrome, one of the largest of antiquity: a stone masterpiece that tells the grandeur of a city that shaped the Mediterranean’s identity and that today is at risk.
