Tyre

An island city along the coast of what is now Lebanon. It is usually mentioned in connection with Sidon, another city of the Phoenicians. About fifty miles north of Nazareth, Tyre was a center of trade in ancient times and was famous for the purple dyes produced there. Ships from Tyre sailed all around the Mediterranean. During some of the Old Testament period, Tyre was a kingdom by itself and threatened Israel. Later Tyre was conquered by Assyria, then Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia. Three chapters of the book of Ezekiel discuss the fall of Tyre. Jesus once visited the area of Tyre and healed the daughter of a Greek woman. Paul once stayed there for seven days with Christians. When he left, he and the Christians from Tyre, including children, had a prayer meeting together on the beach.