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ARTHUR W, SUTTOX, ESQ., J.P., F.L.S., ON 



the lives and property of the inhabitants being spared on con 

 dition that there should be "no building of new churches, no 

 ringing of bells, no riding on horseback, and no insults to the 

 Moslem religion." Tyre was retaken by the Christians in 1124, 

 but once more fell uito Moslem hands at the final collapse of the 

 Crusades in 1291. It was then almost entirely destroyed, and 

 the place has never since recovered, though of late years there 

 have been signs of a slight revival of commerce, and the city 

 is gradually becoming more populous. In the middle of the 

 last centur}^ it had fallen so low that Hasselquist, a traveller, 

 found but ten inhabitants in the place ! 



The ruins which are now found in the peninsula are those 

 of Crusaders' or Saracenic work. The city of the Crusaders lies 

 several feet beneath the debris, and below that are the remains 

 of the Mohammedan and early Christian Tyre. The ancient 

 capital of the Phoenicians lies far, far down beneath the super- 

 incumbent ruins. 



The ancient glory of Tyre has been described in Ezekiel 

 with a graphic power of description and minute accuracy of 

 detail which is scarcely equalled in the annals of literature. 

 Strabo ascribes the prosperity of Tyre to two causes — 

 " partly to navigation, in which the Phoenicians have at all 

 times surpassed other nations, and partly to their purple, 

 for the Tyrian purple is acknowledged to be the best ; 

 the fishing for this purpose is carried on not far off." The 

 far-famed Tyrian dye was extracted from the glands of 

 a peculiar species of shell-fish (Murex trunculus). Phny 

 says that the reason why Tyre was so famous in ancient 

 times was " for its ofispring, the cities to which it gave 

 birth." 



Nearly the whole of ancient Tyre now Hes buried fathoms deep 

 beneath the surface of the sea, the only thing remaining visible 

 now of the ancient city being an enormous mass of magnificent 

 granite and marble columns and ruins, which lie in the 

 northern harbour, submerged by the sea, but distinctly visible 

 when the water is clear. Thus, literally, have Tyre's stones and 

 dust been hid " in the midst of the waters." " What city is 

 like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea ? " (Ezek. 

 xxvii, 32). 



Passing up the Wady Ashur, one of the most picturesque 

 and interesting ravines in Syria, we find ourselves in the region 

 of the wonderful Phoenican rock-sculptures and tombs, and 



