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Explore the Phoenician Empire (the East Mediterranean coast) Phoenicia was an ancient civilization flourished in the heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon & Syria. Phoenician civilization was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread right across the Mediterranean during the first millennium BC. Though ancient boundaries fluctuated, the southern city of Sarepta, between Sidon and Tyre, is the most thoroughly excavated city of the Phoenician homeland. The high point of Phoenician power is usually placed ca 1200 – 800 BC. Many of the most important Phoenician settlements has been established long before this: Byblos, Tyre, Sidon, Aradus and Berytus all appear in Amarna tablets; and indeed the first appearance in archaeology of cultural elements clearly identifiable with the Phoenician zenith is sometimes dated as early as the third millennium BC. The following proposed itinerary will let you live and share a glory of great civilization called Phoenician. Day 1 Arrival Meet & assist at Beirut International Airport. Transfer to hotel. Day 2 Beirut & Byblos
Beirut. Originally named Beroth, (“city of wells”), by the Phoenicians, the first historical reference to Beirut dates from the 15th century BC, when it is mentioned in a cuneiform tablet that is one of the “Amarna letters”. The most ancient settlement was on an island in the river that progressively silted up. The city was known in antiquity as Berytus, the name taken in 1934 for the archaeological journal published by the Faculty of Arts and Science, the American University of Beirut. Byblos was a city of Phoenicia in ancient times. It is located on the Mediterranean coast of Lebanon about 26 miles north of Beirut. It is attractive to archaeologists because of the successive layers of debris resulting from centuries of human habitation. The site first appears to have been settled during the Neolothic period, approximately 5000 BC. During the 3rd millennium BC, the first signs of a town can be observed, with the remains of well-built houses of uniform size. This was the period whenthe Phoenician civilization began to develop. By about 1200 BC, archaeological evidence at Byblos shows clear evidence an alphabetic script which consisted of twenty-two characters. Day 3 Sidon, Sarepta & Tyre Drive south along the coastal highway towards Sidon to explore its ancient sites including the Sea Castle, Soap Museum, and covered old souks. Proceed then farther to the south to visit Sarepta (modern Sarafand) and to explore the place, which is the one Phoenician city in the heartland of the culture that has been unearthed and thoroughly studied. Drive then towards Tyre to explore the excavated ruins over there, which have been declared a World Heritage Site. Before returning back to Beirut, a visit will be paid to the ancient reservoirs in Ras al Ayn. When sea trade began booming, the Phoenicians hung up their fishing gear and never looked back. As they grew, they expanded to Sidon, about 47 miles south of Byblos on the coast, and then to the island of Tyre which was 23 miles father south. All three of these cities would become famous in their own right. The cities are seen though out history as working together on almost every enterprise (i.e. Solomon contracted with Tyre, knowing this would bring him Sidon’s woodcutters) they broadcast a public image of being separate cities. Sarepta. Located 15km south of Sidon. This ancient city is mentioned in the bible and in both Assyrian and Egyptian texts. It was one of the fortified cities of Phoenician Sidon. The biblical narrative speaking of prophet Elijah’s visit to Sarepta confirms this information when it says that Sarepta is a “Sidonian town” (I Kings 17:9). Archaeological excavations showed that it was settled for the first time in the middle of the second millennium BC and occupied without major interruption until the Byzantine period. Day 4 the Beqaa Valley
Kamed el Loz was the ancient capital of the Beqaa Valley from Bronze Age and was once an important cross trade road. Phoenician Temple and Palace have been found (original Phoenician model is preserved at the National Museum, besides jewelries, pottery and other remains dating back to 4,000 BC). Baalbeck will also be visited in this day.
Day 5 Aradus (Arwad Island – Syria)
Drive towards the northern
borders with Syria, meet & assist with formalities and proceed along the coastal
highway towards Arwad experienced its glory at an earlier time when this island 52 miles north of Byblos was a major shipping port in antiquity. The Phoenician island of Arwad has become a quite fishing port but the air of its past glory is still there. A Phoenician wall is visible and other traces of the ancient empire must be there as well.
Day 6 Departure Transfer to Beirut International Airport for departure.
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Cross
Mount Lebanon Range towards the Beqaa Valley to visit the village of Kamed el
Loz lying on top of a settlement built in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman
periods.
the city of Tartus, and from the harbor get the boat towards Arwad Island for an
hour visit. On the way back to Beirut, stop by Tripoli which was once a
Phoenician town, and Batroun, a small coastal town between Tripoli & Byblos
where you can still view a Phoenician wall along the coast.