Byblos Castle
Byblos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. It actually displays much of the history of human civilization.
Although the date of the origins of the city are unknown, according to scientists Byblos was inhabited 7000 years ago. Byblos is actually located in Libya, about 40 km north of Beirut. According to the Phoenician tradition, Byblos was created by God El and even the locals consider it the most ancient settlement of the land.
One of the biggest attractions of the Byblos is the castle. It is located in an area of ongoing archaeological excavations near the port. Besides the medieval Byblos Castle there are three historical sites that attract a huge interest from tourists and archaeologists. These are the Egyptian temples, the oldest of which dates from the 4th millennium, Phoenician Royal Necropolis and the Roman amphitheater.
Around 1200 BC the Greeks, who named the place "Phoenicia" lived in these lands and took great note of this coastal area. The town was called "Byblos ", which in Greek translates as papyrus, because at that time Byblos was an important center for trading paper.
It is assumed that this is where the Phoenicians invented the first human letter. Around the third millennium BC, Byblos was one of the most important Mediterranean ports.
Byblos Castle is actually a creation of the Crusaders, who arrived in these lands during the 12th century. They built a stone fort on the ruins of an ancient Roman structure. In 1188 Saladin managed to capture the castle Byblos, and two years later, his defenses were completely destroyed.
A short time later the Crusaders managed to regain control of the castle and restored it completely in 1197. In 1369 the castle in Byblos was attacked by Cypriot vessels from Famagusta.
Even today, Byblos is literally cluttered everywhere with relics of the past. In many places along the paths and around the port you can see stropolili, which are columns that have stood for centuries this way. If you are lucky may even find some gold, silver or copper coin of the Greco-Roman era, while walking in the area of Byblos castle or along any of the other historical sites .
