Şūr

Şūr or Tyre (Latin, Tyrus; Hebrew, Zor), town in southern Lebanon, on the Mediterranean Sea. Its name was first applied to a small island just off the coast, the site of the earliest settlement here. Şūr was the most important city of ancient Phoenicia. The Greek historian Herodotus records a tradition that traces the settlement of Şūr from the 28th century bc. In the 7th century ad it came under the dominion of the Saracens. In the 12th century it was taken by the Crusaders, who kept it until 1291, when the town came under Muslim rule. It was badly damaged during Arab-Israeli warfare in 1982. In 1984 the remains of the ancient Tyre were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In July 2006 Şūr was targeted by Israeli air strikes during the Israel-Lebanon conflict. The raids caused severe damage and killed several people. Population (1988 estimate) 14,000.