Byblos, UNESCO World Heritage Site in Jbeil District, Lebanon
Byblos is a settlement with ancient ruins and a medieval castle on the Mediterranean coast in Jbeil District, Lebanon. The city spreads over a hillside above the harbor, where limestone walls from several eras stand side by side.
People settled here around 8000 BC, and the city grew into a trading center between Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean. Phoenicians shipped cedar wood to Egyptian pharaohs, who used it for temples and coffins.
The settlement's name comes from the Greek word for papyrus, as Egyptian paper scrolls passed through this port on their way to Europe. Fishermen still moor their boats in the ancient Phoenician harbor, where ships docked thousands of years ago.
Visitors who arrive early in the morning can walk through the site quietly before larger groups arrive. Sturdy shoes help when walking on uneven stone paths between excavation areas.
A stone obelisk stands in the temple area and carries one of the oldest Phoenician inscriptions that archaeologists have found to this day. Next to it lies a well where worshipers once lowered offerings for their deities.
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