The oldest Phoenician inscription was found by archaeologists in Byblos, a key location for the dissemination of the writing system three thousand years ago. Sea-faring Phoenician merchants took the alphabet with them, spreading it across the Mediterranean world where it was assimilated and adapted by a variety of cultural groups. Phoenician is the first alphabet, from which most written scripts descend.

Byblos is perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It is a Lebanese city on the Mediterranean between Beirut and Tripoli, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. “Byblos is a testimony to a history of uninterrupted construction from the first settlement by a community of fishermen dating back 8000 years, through the first town buildings, the monumental temples of the Bronze Age, to the Persian fortifications, the Roman road, Byzantine churches, the Crusade citadel and the Medieval and Ottoman town” (UNESCO). We particularly love to visit the harbor and the old souks.

Nearby is the city of Jounieh and its outstanding bay, which are best viewed from on high. The Téléphérique, a gondola lift, takes you on a 1 mile ride over the city to the top of a mountain.

BYBLOS, LEBANON

UNESCO. (2017). “Byblos.” World Heritage List.
Retrieved from: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/295