The Al-Bass Tyre necropolis is a Lebanese

UNESCO World Heritage site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in the city of Tyre situated next to the el-Buss refugee camp. The necropolis, constituting the principal entrance of the town in antique times, is to be found on either side of a wide Roman and Byzantine avenue dominated by a triumphal arch of the 2nd century. Other important monumental vestiges of this archaeological area are an aqueduct, which carried water to the city, and a 2nd-century hippodrome.

The Roman and Byzantine necropolis

Sarcophagus with the legend of Achilleus found in Tyr

Discovered in 1962, the necropolis consists of hundreds of stone and marble sarcophagi from the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

eras. Several of them have Greek inscriptions or the names of those buried there, or their trade such as "wealthy purple dye manufacturer." Others whose sides and covers are decorated with frescoes and bas-reliefs of works from

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

and others. The Triumphal Arch is one of the most impressive relics of the site. Fallen apart but reconstructed in modern times, it dominates the well preserved Roman avenue which has a necropolis on either side scattered with hundreds of ornate stones and sculptured marble sarcophagi dating from the 2nd through the 6th century C.E.

The Phoenician necropolis

In the northern section of the site there is a Phoenician necropolis of the ninth century B.C.E. formed by dug graves containing urns.

Conservation of the site

Hostilities during 2006 threatened the site when a nearby building was bombarded. A post-conflict analysis by conservation experts found that many of the frescoes had sustained damage. This, combined with the significant lack of maintenance at the site, represents significant threats to the site. The site was already plundered in the 1990s. Find disappeared in the illegal antiquities market and some obelisks are now displayed at

Nabu museum The Nabu Museum is a museum in El-Heri, in Ras Al Shaqa’, Lebanon. It opened in 2018, having been built in just eight months by businessman Jawad Adra to house his collection of about 2,000 items including both contemporary works of art and ...

in El-Heri https://www.almodon.com/society/2019/4/27/%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%82-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A2%D8%AB%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%81-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A8-1, تحقيق استقصائي في الآثار: المتاحف والتجارة والنهب (1). (Investigation on antiquities, museum, trade and looting (1)). almodonline (27.4.2019).

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures completed in the 9th century BC 1962 archaeological discoveries Tyre, Lebanon Roman sites in Lebanon Archaeological sites in Lebanon Ancient cemeteries in Lebanon Phoenician funerary practices Necropoleis Byzantine sites in Asia