Jbeil

Have you ever wondered about the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world? Right in front of you lays Jbeil, also known as Byblos. The story of Jbeil starts back in the Neolithic period, around 8800 BC, and it is full of mysteries waiting to be discovered. Excavations show that the early inhabitants of Jbeil built dwellings with crushed limed stone floors. They knew how to use their environment, building homes to protect themselves from the elements. Jbeil wasn’t just a village, it was a strategic location for trade, as it was the chief harbor for exporting cedar and other valuable wood to Egypt. The pharaohs needed timber for shipbuilding and tomb construction. Jbeil was connected to the Nile River valley for centuries. The city played a key role in the ancient world, and throughout its long lifespan, it became a Phoenician trading hub, was conquered by Alexander the Great, and then ruled by the Romans. In the 3rd century, a theatre was built in Jbeil by the Greeks, which still stands today. Jbeil was also a center for the culture of the Phoenicians, who are known for developing our modern alphabet. In the 12th century, Jbeil became part of the Crusader state of Tripoli, and a Crusader Castle was built there in 1104. Today, in this little town, you can see remains of all of those civilizations from millennia ago. The historic site was rediscovered in 1860 by Ernest Renan, a French writer, and excavations began in 1921. Jbeil is a reminder that the present is built on the past.