Tyre

Tyre was one of the great Phoenician cities, the founder of Carthage and the source of the purple dye that gave the colour its association with royalty, and it sat on an island until Alexander built a causeway to take it in 332 BC, permanently joining it to the mainland. The archaeological remains split into two areas. Al-Mina, on the peninsula, has a colonnaded street, baths and a Roman arena beside the water. Al-Bass, inland, holds a monumental arch, an aqueduct and one of the largest Roman hippodromes known, its long track and turning posts still legible, with a necropolis of carved sarcophagi alongside. The modern town has a working fishing harbour and a Christian quarter of old houses.

What you actually see

• The hippodrome at Al-Bass - one of the largest Roman chariot-racing tracks surviving.
• The monumental arch and aqueduct - on the ancient road into the city.
• Al-Mina - colonnaded street, baths and arena beside the sea.
• The fishing harbour - the working port and old Christian quarter in the modern town.

When to go

Spring and autumn for comfortable walking; summer on open archaeological sites here is very hot with almost no shade. The sea light in late afternoon on the Al-Mina columns is the best of the day.

Honest expectations

The two site areas are a couple of kilometres apart and need separate tickets and transport between them. There is very little shade at either. Interpretation is sparse. The drive down the coast from Beirut is longer than the distance suggests because of traffic through the southern suburbs.

Nearby

Sidon and its sea castle are on the road back north; the Chouf mountains rise inland.