Byzantine-Roman Tyre

Tyre is the city of the kingdom whose king was Hiram, the guy who sent cedars of Lebanon (see other posts) to Solomon for use in building the temple. It is one of the oldest cities in the world and was one of the major Phoenician cities of antiquity.
The 1st picture is the Cardo Maximus in the Byzantine part of Tyre. In the distance you can see Hadrian's Gate that marks the point between the Byzantine section that is basically a necropolis and the Roman section. The 2nd picture is the Cardio Maximus in the Roman section with the standard colonnades (see the Jerash post).
The 3rd picture is of a baptismal font in an ancient church, and the 4th picture is an ancient fountain or nymphaeum.
The last 2 pictures are taken at the hippodrome. This is said to be the largest hippodrome in the Roman world. In the far distance, just visible are the remains of a Roman aqueduct. A closer view of the aqueduct is in the 6th picture.Read more