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Tyre was built in ancient times on a small rocky island
near the coast. This was the era when the famous industries
of Phoenician glass and purple dye were developed. Alexander
the Great also laid siege to it for 7 months. Finaly overwhelming
the island city by constructing a great causeway from the
shore to the island. Over the centuries, however, the causeway
was silted up, turning Tyre into an Isthmus. In biblical
times it was in Qana (Cana) near Tyre that Jesus turned
water into wine at the wedding feast.
In 1980, modern Tyre's impressive Roman and Phoenician
remains prompted UNESCO to make the town one of its world
heritage sites. Despite its location in the deep south 79
km from Beirut, where conflict often occurred during the
war, Tyre has become a prosperous town notable for its many
high-rise buildings. At the same time the inner city has
retained its industrious maritime character and its old-style
houses.
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