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Byblos (Jbail)

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HobWahid
HobWahid
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4 out of 5
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Byblos (aka Jbail)

  • March 29, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by stappm from San Francisco, California
Byblos is another must see in Lebanon - it is the oldest continually inhabited seaport in the world. And the home of 15 civilizations - Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Ottomans... and again, you get to walk around the site and go thru the Crusader castles, the amphitheater, see homes, and ancient souks. There is even a Sarcophagus in a tomb that you can climb down and see. It is huge! Around the actual archeological site there is the port that is still used with fishing boats lined up as well as a souk with lots of shops and cafes to walk around. Website: http://www.byblosfestival.org/

From journal Beirut, the Paris of the Middle East

Editor Pick

Byblos (Jbail)

  • February 13, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by SkewedStyle from Brooklyn, New York
Byblos (Jbail)

Byblos, or Jbail in Arabic, is supposedly the oldest settlement in the world, and has been continuously inhabited since Neolithic times. A major city of the Phoenicians, the city fell into the hands of the Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Ottomans, and according to Tony, fifty years ago a family was still found living among the ruins.

I would love to detail the journey from Beirut, but I can’t explain it… it involved my usual technique of hopping onto various buses, hoping I was going the right direction, then pleading with the driver to take me there without really understanding what the route of my bus actually was. I was dropped off somewhere in town, and someone pointed toward the ruins.

This time, the stern clerk asked to see my student ID, but still gave me the supposed non-existent discount: 6000LL regular price, 1500LL for me.

The entrance is through a Crusader castle, which provides excellent views of the ruins. In a very organized fashion, the ruins are well labeled with a clear path for a self-guided tour. There was one locked house I found, which was unlabelled, and after working the door a few minutes, I decided it was actually a private home. Byblos’ small Roman theatre is nothing compared to the more impressive Roman theatres found elsewhere, but it’s still a lovely setting and no Roman town is complete without one. The curved stairways inside the castle are the most fun, and the museum contained inside is beautifully laid-out and informative. A great deal of the rest is rubble, however, and no matter how many times I looked at the signs, I couldn’t really imagine what structures had stood there in ancient times.

The nearby old town contains some schools which are still in use and a market area which has the very “restored” look, perfect cobbled streets and small shops of unnecessary items, which charm me nonetheless. The most popular item appears to be fossils. Fossils? There’s also a small fossil museum but my stomach was growling by the time I reached it, and I couldn’t muster the interest.

The most beautiful thing about the ruins was the coastal setting. Unlike the desert ruins I’d been seeing, this site was infused with green and dotted with lovely flowers. There are small fishing boats in the harbor, couples strolling along the promenade, and pricey but lovely elevated restaurants with good views.

Before I headed back to Beirut (using a muddled combination of two buses and a furniture delivery man) I stopped for my daily allotment of ice cream. As I was leaving, the owner of the ice cream parlor asked me to stay.

"Don’t leave! I love you," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"I mean, I love Americans," he said.
"What?" I asked.

From journal Where's the Lebanese Delight?

Editor Pick

Byblos (Jbail)

  • February 3, 2005
  • Rated 3 of 5 by HobWahid from Damascus, Syria
Byblos (Jbail)

Byblos (Jbail) is another one of Lebanon’s costal cities that is booming with history but has surprisingly little to show for it all. That doesn’t mean, though, that the Lebanese government and tourist board haven’t put all their efforts into developing the site and turning it into the most tourist-aimed place in all of Lebanon. Having been another major coastal city for the Phoenicians, Byblos subsequently fell into the hands of the Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamelukes, and Ottomans. Today a large portion of the city has been excavated, and remains from the long history of Byblos have been found, restored, and put on display for all the tourists to see. Although the government, in its effort to preserve the old city of Byblos, has made it all seem a little too artificial, it is still hard not to get lost in its beauty and appreciate its charm. Also, it is probably the most archeologically interesting site after Baalbek in all of Lebanon.

Byblos is still a modern town, and the modern town has built up around the old, but once you enter into the old city area, all memories of the rush of modern Lebanon disappear. The old city consists of a few suspiciously well-preserved streets that run along the harbor. All along the streets of the old city lie numerous tourist shops that sell all the things you don’t need, but will probably buy anyway. In addition to the shops, there are a few snack stands where you can get shawerma, or falafel, if you are hungry. If you are there around lunch or dinner time, though, it is best to head over to the harbor area and sample some of the magnificent seafood at the Byblos Fishing Club or any of the other great restaurants along the harbor.

The main attraction of byblos is, of course, the archeological site. The entrance to the site is a small Crusader castle with an impressive bridge that leads up to the door. The castle itself is not too spectacular, but from the top you can get great views over the vast expanse of the archeological site and the old town. Coming down from the castle, you then enter into the main area of the site. In true Lebanese fashion, there is a path set up to guide you around the site, complete with signs at all the major ruins explaining to you just exactly what that pile of rocks used to be. Among the most impressive of the ruins scattered around the site, the most impressive is the Obelisk Temple, dating from the 2nd-millennium-BC and containing within it a few small obelisks. Also impressive are the Achemenid Persian Palace and the 3rd-millennium-BC "great residence." My favorite, though, is the Roman theater that, although it only has about six or seven tiers, has a very beautifully carved stage. Beyond those there are numerous other piles of rubble that are only decipherable with the help of the signs.

From journal Lebanon: Playground of the Middle East

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