Tyre Necropolis

The Al-Bass Tyre necropolis is an ancient site in the city of Tyre, Lebanon.

Discovered in 1962, the necropolis consists of hundreds of stone and marble sarcophagi from the Roman and Byzantine eras.[1] Several tombs have Greek inscriptions or the names of those buried there, or their trade such as "wealthy purple dye manufacturer."[2] Others have sculpted reliefs of works from Homer and others.

On September 26, 2003, U.S. Ambassador Vincent M. Battle and Lebanese Minister of Culture Ghazi Aridi completed an agreement stipulating that the U.S. government would provide $30,640 toward conservation efforts.[3][4]

Hostilities during 2006 threatened the site when a nearby building was bombarded. A post-conflict analysis by conservation experts found that many of the frescoes had sustained damage. This, combined with the significant lack of maintenance at the site, represents significant threats to the site.[5]

South of the necropolis is the partially reconstructed Roman hippodrome discovered in 1967.

References

  1. ↑ "Tyre". Lebanon Voice Chat - Gallery Sour. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Tyre Things to Do". VirtualTourist.com. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ http://www.usembassy.gov.lb/Pressreleases/092603PR_Necropolis.htm[]
  4. ↑ "U.S. Ambassador Awards $30,000 to Ministry of Culture". lebanon.usembassy.gov (Press release). Embassy of the United States Beirut, Lebanon. September 14, 2005. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ Toubekis, Georgios (2010). "Lebanon: Tyre (Sour)". In Christoph Machat, Michael Petzet and John Ziesemer (Eds.), "Heritage at Risk: ICOMOS World Report 2008-2010 on Monuments and Sites in Danger" (PDF).. Berlin: hendrik Bäßler verlag, 2010, pg. 118.


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