Along the coast, south of Sidon, we found Tyre. Tyre was a major Phoenician seaport from about 2000 BC through the Roman period. It was once an island and according to Herodotus, was founded about 2700 BC. Yes, thats BC, crazy long time ago. Purple dye was invented in Tyre.
The Roman hippodrome is one of the largest ever found. amazing. It was once used for chariot racing and could seat 20,000. Sitting up high on the stands, you can imagine what it must have been like when there were people all around. The light coming in under the stands, looking through the arches into the stadium, reminded me of movies like The Gladiator, and what it was like just before they enter the arena to face thousands of people.
Next we found the area of the port ruins, which was once a Phoenician island. What I find interesting is the two overlapping floor are from different civilisations: Byzantine mosaics laid over the Roman mosaic floor.
We were a day late to see the glassblowers in Sarafand, the site of ancient Serepta, where Phoenecians blew glass thousands of years ago. They shut down their glass furnace for the first time in many many years. Soon they'll be opening up a new shop in Zouk in the north, and then the Sarafand location will be working again soon, if it still exists.
All these images are from areas that have been the hardest hit in the past 10 days. so. sad.
1 comment:
hi soraya, i totally understand what you're saying. I'm finding it harder and harder to post these images of what I saw just a week before this insanity started. i find myself glued to the news all day long, and yes, the images in the news are really terrifying. thanks for your comment, and i really hope this ends soon.
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