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Byblos
is one of the top contenders for the "oldest continuously
inhabited city" award. According to Phoenician tradition
it was founded by the god El, and even the Phoenicians considered
it a city of great antiquity. Although its beginnings are lost
in time, modern scholars say the site of Byblos goes back at
least 7,000 years. Ironically, the words "Byblos"
and "Phoenicia" would not have been recognized by
the city's early inhabitants. For several thousand years it
was called "Gubla" and later "Gebal", while
the term "Canaan" was applied to the coast in general.
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It
was the Greeks, some time after 1200 B.C., who gave us
the name "Phoenicia," referring to the coastal
area. They called the city "Byblos" ("papyrus"
in Greek), because this commercial center was important
in the papyrus trade.
Today Byblos (Jbeil in Arabic) on the coast 37 kilometers
north of Beirut, is a prosperous place with glass-fronted
office buildings and crowded streets.
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old town, medieval Arab and Crusader remains are continuous
reminders of the past. Nearby are the extensive excavations
that make Byblos one of the most important archaeological sites
in the area. |
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History:
About 7,000 years ago a small Neolithic fishing community
settled along the shore and several of their monocular
huts with crushed limestone floors can be seen on the
site. Many tools and weapons of this stone age period
have been found as well...
For more info please visit:
Ministry
of Tourism
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