Tyre

Tyre was a prominent ancient city located on the Mediterranean coast of what is now Lebanon. Originally built partly on an island, it became one of the most powerful Phoenician cities through maritime trade, craftsmanship, and colonization. Tyre was especially famous for producing purple dye, a luxury item associated with royalty and elite status and the city maintained extensive trade networks across the Mediterranean and played a major role in regional politics and economics. In biblical literature, Tyre often appears as a symbol of wealth, power, and international influence, sometimes praised for its skill and sometimes criticized for its arrogance. Historically, Tyre’s strategic importance made it a target of conquest, most famously by Alexander the Great.