Byblos historic town

Unbelievably rich city in history and diversity of architectures and monuments. In a small fortified town, you will find a Crusaders fortress, an Arabic old souk, an port from antiquity, a Roman amphitheater, a phenecian Necropoly, several musuems, and all this on the Mediterranean shores. With Baalbeck Ruins, Beiteddine Palace, Jeita grotto, and the Holy Valley, Byblos in the top 5 things to do when visiting Lebanon. All of the Civilisations who prosperred aound the Mediterranean sea left important traces in Byblos, going back to 5000 BC.

In summertime, you can enjoy great concerts during Byblos Music Festival, held next to the Historic Port.

During the same day, going North of Beirut, you can visit Jeita Grotto almost in the middle of the trip, and/or finish at Edde Sands Private beach just next to Byblos town.

Some Histroy:
Byblos, also known by its Arabic name of Jbeil, is an ancient phoenician city located about 35 Kilometers (23 miles) north of the capital Beirut in modern day Lebanon. The city has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Byblos is re-emerging as an upscale touristic hub. With its ancient port, Phoenician, Roman and Crusader ruins, sandy beaches and the picturesque mountains that surround it make it an ideal tourist destination. The city is known for its fish restaurants, open-air bars, and outdoor cafes. Yachts cruise into its harbor today like they did in the sixties and seventies when Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra were regular visitors to the city.

In the archaeological site of Byblos there are the remains of the Great Temple (also known as L-Shaped temple) built in 2700 BC, Temple of Baalat Gebal built in 2700 BC and Temple of the Obelisks built around 1600 BC.
Byblos Castle

Byblos Castle was built by the crusaders in the 12th century. It is located in the archaeological site near the port.

The old medieval part of Byblos is surrounded by walls running about 270m from east to west and 200m from north to south

Byblos Wax Museum displays wax statues of characters from Phoenician times to current days

St John the Baptist Church
Work on the church started during the crusades in 1116. It was considered a cathedral and was partially destroyed during an earthquake in 1176 AD. It was transformed into stables by Islamic forces after the fall of the city, and was given to the Maronites as a gift by Prince Youssef Chehab of Lebanon in the mid 1700s, after they aided him in capturing the city.

Byblos Fossil Museum has a collection of fossilized fish, sharks, eel, flying fish, and other marine life, some millions of years old.

In the southeast section of the historic city, near the entrance of the archaeological site, is an old market where tourists can shop for souvenirs and antiques, or simply stroll along the old cobblestone streets and enjoy the architecture.

You can visit the Wikipedia page for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ByblosLess