Another amazing and historical place we got to see in Lebanon was Byblos, locally called Jbail. This city is one of the oldest cities in human history. Byblos has been continuously inhabited by people for over 7,000 years! The Bible takes its name from this city as during Egyptian times it was used as the main port on the Mediterranean for shipping the papyrus. The English word Bible comes from Byblos as it describes "the (papyrus) book".
The souks are built around the old medieval city walls
A rose in the garden
Such a pretty old quarter district
Jill in the center of town
The flowers and trees surrounded the outdoor bars and cafes inside the city walls
Our crew pauses before going under the archway of the old city walls
Looking back through the city wall to the shops
Bella with flower wind spinners
Roman columns show where the old Roman road ran from the port into town
Rosie, Alex and Bella sit along the wall
The castle was built in the 12th century by the Crusaders
Local limestone was used for construction...
along with bricks from the Roman ruins.
The castle (fort) protected the city and the port
Bella blooming
The site is on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean
The old columns can be seen standing in the distance and fallen in the foreground
The columns are near ancient burial tombs
Alex and Rosie sit atop the royal tombs
Jill with the sea in the background
Ancient brick house along the coast
Rosie on the small amphitheater stage. The audience could see the show and the sea...
while the mountains and city are situated behind the audience.
The children "perform" for the adults
Bella and Dad
Rosie after her time on stage
A family of giants tower over the ancient ruins
A family of entertainers
Bella "on the roof"
The girls sitting on fallen columns under a shady tree
Mr. Cat can't believe he's walking on a spot that people have lived for 7,000 years!
The Roman columns
The castle is still mostly in tact
The flowers add to the beauty
The columns among the flowers
The girls among the flowers
A view of the tombs and the sea
Between the castle walls looking back up to the mountains
The house in the distance
Castle archway angles enhance the view
The ancient in front and the modern in the distance
The Mediterranean Sea
The Lebanese coastline looking south
The columns seen from the castle wall
Rosie as the castle lookout
The lookout walks the walls
Bella in the scarves at the souks
The walk down to the port through cobblestone streets was amazing
Happy Jill walks through history
The cool shops in the souks built along the walls provided lots of window shopping
Jbail port
Looking back to the castle in the distance from the water
Aurore and Alex, our amazing hosts, pose at our lunch spot
The whole town was not only fascinating for its history but also a cute modern touristy town with lots of shops and places to eat. There is a modern stage set up on the water for an amphitheater that holds 5-6 thousand. Moby played there the day after we saw him in Dubai. In the background of the lunch photo, you can see the roadies for 30 Seconds to Mars who had just finished setting up the stage for the concert that happened that night. The mussels and the calamari were excellent and the view of the port was perfect.
Our trip to Byblos was quite memorable.
Our trip to Byblos was quite memorable.
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