While indulging a hot cup of coffee with my friend last Saturday and engrossed in our weekly visit to discuss the week that had just concluded, she proceeded to tell me about her fiasco travel plans to Turkey that fell through and resulted in thousands of travelers’ reservations being cancelled, which she was one of. However, on the bright side, she explained how the cancellation of her Turkey trip forced her to schedule a local trip to the city of Tyre in order to enjoy a mini-vacation with her family prior to the start of school.
As someone who has never been to Tyre myself, her detailed explanation of her experience there made me anxious to jump in the car and enjoy this rich, historic city, and see with my own eyes what she so intricately described.
Lebanon’s fourth largest city, which is sometimes referred to as “Queen of the Seas”, Tyre’s ruins comprise one of five UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. An emerging hotspot, Tyre’s name has been frequented on the tourism map quite heavily in the past few years. Not only is it affected by the influx of international tourists, most hotels in Tyre are predominantly booked by Lebanese seeking a quick getaway to a city rich in civilization, history, and character.
The Simple Life
Tyre’s 4 kilometer-long free public beach is a rarity in Lebanon. With resorts all over the country costing families exorbitant entrance fees to enjoy a day of swimming, it is refreshing to see families, couples, and groups of friends splashing in the clean southern waters and enjoying water activities along the coastline.
Behind the city’s port are narrow, maze-like winding streets lined with houses, boutique hotels, and shops that sell trinkets and fishing paraphernalia. Walls are colored purple, pink, and yellow, with beautiful plants and hanging ornaments. Ducking under clothes lines dripping with freshly-washed laundry along these narrow paths, passersby walk these streets in summer dresses, flip flops, and even swim trunks, as life there is extremely simple. Boutique hotels are so popular that they are booked a year in advance. Restaurants serve fresh seafood caught by the local fishermen on the same day, as it is enjoyed with a glass of Arak and local “mezza”.
This description alone intensified my longing to visit the charming city that signifies so much character. A combination of heritage and simple modernity has taken it to a different level, whereby travelers compare it to the islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Thanks for its residents who have done such a great job of keeping it real, one cannot but also acknowledge the municipal forces that work day and night to ensure that Tyre remain on the map. Due to the efforts of an active municipal council headed by the mayor, Engineer Hassan Dbouk, Tyre has risen above all expectations and our hope is that it will continue to soar higher.
Summer is still in full swing, so do what I intend to do which is to visit Tyre the soonest and experience what my friend did.
Photos taken by Sara Abdo