n.
Arabic 1E62; 016B; r
Town (pop., 1994 est.: 80,000), southern Lebanon.
In the 11th6th centuries BC it was a major commercial city, a centre of Phoenician civilization, and a dominant sea power. Later it was noted for its silken garments and Tyrian purple dye. Probably founded before the 14th century BC, it is frequently mentioned in the Bible. It successfully resisted a 6th-century-BC siege of 13 years by the Babylonian king Nebuchadrezzar II. It fell to Alexander the Great in 332 BC. Ruled later by the Seleucid dynasty and then by the Romans, it passed to the Muslims in the 7th century AD. After its capture by the Crusaders in 1124, it became a chief city of the kingdom of Jerusalem (see Crusades ). It fell again to the Muslims in 1291 and was destroyed. The modern town was included in Lebanon in 1920 and was occupied by Israeli forces (198285). Its main economic activity is fishing.