Byblos

At the dawn of history, Byblos was just a sleepy fishing village on the sandy shore where the Lebanon Mountains came down to the Mediterranean Sea. This was the first home of the Phoenician people. World-famous cedars of Lebanon grew on the sides of these mountains and provided not only excellent wood for boats but also something valuable to trade with others, particularly the Egyptians.

Byblos (Βύβλος) is the Greek name of the Phoenecian city Gebal (earlier Gubla). It was named Byblos by the Greeks, because it was through Gebal that papyrus (bublos; Egyptian papyrus) was imported into Greece.

It is a Mediterranean city in Lebanon under the current Arabic name of Jbeil (Ǧubayl) and was also referred to as Gibelet during the Crusaders. It is believed to have been founded around 5000 BC and was built by Cronus as the first city in Phoenicia. Today it is believed by many to be the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. Byblos is approximately 42km North of Beirut. It has over 7,000 years of history and has moved through many a hand, which has shaped various parts of the ancient city.

In its time, Byblos was conquered by Alexander the Great, snatched by the Romans under Pompey, briefly ruled by Constantinople followed through to the Arabs and was then taken by the Crusaders. With the departure of the Crusaders, Byblos continued under Mamluke and Ottoman rule as a small fishing town, and its antique remains were gradually covered with dust.

This gives you only a small idea of what the city has been through and the effect that this had on its architectural remains. It is stunning city of ruins that you can almost picture in it’s glory. The most beautiful part of the city for me were the remains of some of the Roman built columns and the unfinished Amphitheatre which backs on to the Mediterranean Sea. There is much more that I can tell you about the city, but it honestly is one of those things that you must see for yourself.

Phoebe and I spent an hour walking through the old Souks (markets) which ran through cobbled streets and were open to customers through old wooden doors and enthusiastic Lebanese stall holders. We ate at a small Lebanese restaurant in the square which is lined with restaurants of a few varieties including some French and some western. We only spent half a day in Byblos, and it certainly needs more time than that. I’ll get some photos next time and surely I’ll have learned more about the beautiful and ancient city.

I believe Phoebe must have learned a valuable lesson on the way home however. We were waiting on the streets of Jbail for a bus to take us home and a man started speaking to us and letting us know that buses would be coming however, considering it was a Sunday it may take a while. He wanted to be friends and other than telling us that he wanted to take photos of us for casting for a production company that he was freelancing for he also wanted our phone numbers and to go out for coffee. He was quite genuine, but perhaps not our cup of tea, however he did offer to walk us up to the freeway where there was sure to be more buses. He was trying to be helpful in getting Phoebe across the freeway and had his hand on her elbow, which is something she really dislikes. In an attempt to get away from him she jumped across a ledge and straight into a drain hole which she thought had a metal grate (however in Lebanon most things aren’t done properly and you can never assume anything). It was really rather hilarious except that she did gash her knee. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo but the memory will serve as a hilarious part of my history.