Biblical city
Tyre
Sour, Lebanon · Phoenicia
A Phoenician maritime power built partly on an island, Tyre supplied cedar and craftsmen for Solomon's temple and later drew extended oracles from Isaiah and Ezekiel. Alexander's causeway permanently joined the island to the mainland.
History in Scripture
A Phoenician sea power allied with David and Solomon — Hiram supplied cedar and craftsmen for the temple. Later prophets, especially Ezekiel 26–28 and Isaiah 23, condemned its pride and commerce. Jesus visited its region, and Paul stayed with disciples there (Acts 21).
The ancient city
Tyre was an island fortress with mainland suburbs, famous for purple dye, glass and colonies across the Mediterranean including Carthage. Alexander the Great built a causeway to take it in 332 BC, which silted into the present peninsula.
The site today
Sour in Lebanon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with extensive Roman remains, including a hippodrome and a monumental necropolis.
Key passages
Sources & notes
Description summarizes standard historical and archaeological reference works. Imagery is added separately and is labeled by type.