One of the oldest cities in Lebanon and a place of pilgrimage in love with the ancient history of tourists ,Tire boasts a remarkable archaeological park - and its scale is so huge - $ ,that UNESCO is ,including the city on the World Heritage List in 1984 ,was forced to divide the sights into three vast zones: in Al-Mine-1 and Al-Mine-2 you can see the most ancient evidence of the activity of the civilizations of the Middle East - Egyptians ,Romans and Byzantines ,and Al-Bass is entirely devoted to Roman "works" ,of which the most notable are the racecourse for 20 thousand spectators and the arched gallery NATO soldiers and Al-Bass refugee camp almost at the entrance to the archaeological park slightly overshadow the picture, and those who want to stay in the city for a long time are not there, so it makes sense to come here on a one-day excursion !

How to get to Tire

Getting to Tire is easiest on road transport from Beirut - on the route I work by buses, minibuses and taxis "service" .The trip by bus will take from one to one and a half hours and will cost 3000 LBP; they depart every 15 minutes from 5 am to 9 pm from the Cola transport station in the Lebanese capital .Minibuses from Beirut "hobble" for one to two hours depending on the driver's skills; the fare will cost 2000-3000 LBP ."Service" - the fastest way to get to Tire is .Machines start off as soon as all the seats are filled; fare - 10-15 thousand ą $ .LBP .

Orientation in the city

The oldest part of the city is located on the narrow promontory cape. Here, just behind the fishing port, where colorful boats of local fishermen and large trawlers are moored together, the Christian quarter is located, and immediately after it begins the archaeological park of Al-Mina, both its parts. Al Bass Park is located in the heart of the city, in the immediate vicinity of the same Palestinian refugee camp.

Transport

Given the small size of Tire, it can easily be bypassed on its own two. If by the end of the day you get tired of walking, at your service a taxi. The counters in Tire have not been heard since the time of Queen Elissa, so you should negotiate the amount of payment with the driver before boarding in a taxi.

Hotels in Tire

In Tire it is especially not accepted to stop for the night - to see archeological sights it is quite possible during a day of light .However, for fans of excavations, there are several options for placement, which are especially convenient if you decide to go next morning to Sidon .The most pompous hotel has a simple name "Rest House" and offers spacious modern rooms, an excellent restaurant, a cozy bar, two outdoor pools and its own sandy beach for 140-170 USD (there are "suites" for 400 USD).The option is simpler, but no less charming - hotel-restaurant "Al-Fanar" .It has a home-like atmosphere, prepares delicious traditional dishes and is asked to pay a democratic 70-90 USD per night .

Kitchen and restaurants

Fast-food outlets "bunch" on the busy street Abu-Deeb .Here, the ubiquitous falafel and shavermu are served; the most popular local snack bar is called - "Abu-Deeb" .For something more substantial, we recommend to go to the restaurant "Tanit" near the fishing port..Their specialties - a huge amount of "meze", steaks and a NATO-favored bar with foreign strong drinks - $ .Another nice option is called "Tiros" - here is delicious food at democratic prices, and on Saturdays live music is heard .With the purpose of a dinner "with pomp" you have a direct road to the "Little Phoenician", that in the old port there is a "token" - delicious fish dishes and an open terrace above the old pier .

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Tire

The archaeological park of Al Mina includes ruins dating back to the 3rd millennium BC - once there was the Egyptian harbor on this site, later the sea receded, giving space for a later Roman construction .Pay attention to the street, paved with mosaic, on both sides of which lined columns of green marble, imported from Greece .Among the most noteworthy ruins of the park are large-scale Roman baths of 2-3 and a rectangular viewing area adjacent to them that could hold up to 2,000 spectators - presumably, watching the ancient variety of water polo .

A 5-minute walk from Al-Mina is the ruins of a medieval Crusader castle (12th century), to which several streets of the Roman and Byzantine periods lead.

Archaeological Park Al-Bass is located about 2 km from the ruins of Al Mina .The first thing to do here is to look at the ancient Roman necropolis with hundreds of beautifully carved marble sarcophagi - on some you can read the names of "inhabitants", others are poetically decorated with lines from the Iliad .Next, you must admire the surprisingly well preserved arched gallery of the Emperor Hadrian (2 in), ascended to a 20-meter height, walk along a Roman road 1-6 km long and walk around the world's largest and first-ever ancient Roman racecourse - he once housed more 20 thousand spectators! Here, too, are the ruins of an aqueduct supplying water to the thermae of Al Mina .

Caen's Cave

According to the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ created his first great miracle, the transformation of water into wine, at wedding celebrations in Qana..About where the biblical city of Kahn was located, there are still lively disputes, but the inhabitants of Lebanon are sure - a miracle happened in the town of Kana, located 10 km southeast of Tire .Evidence of the miraculous transformation of drinks, of course, is not preserved, but the main attraction of the village - the cave of Kana - is quite worthy of attention .According to legends, it was here that Jesus spent the night before the miracle was done .On the way to the cave, pay attention to the ancient wall bas-relief carved in the rock, depicting the life of the Savior .