Archaeology of Superpositions, as seen in Sidon’s Sea Castle

Located at about 48 km from Beirut, Sidon (also known as Saida) is the third largest city in Lebanon. Considered as an important city of Phoenician Empire and with a history that dates back to 4000 B.C, the etymology of the word “Sidon” derives from the word “fishery”, or “fishing town”. For many of Sidon’s inhabitants, the fishing port and the marine activity have always been the main source of their income . Ubicada a unos 48 km de Beirut, Sidón (también conocida como Saida) es la tercera ciudad más grande del Líbano. Considerada como una ciudad muy importante dentro del imperio fenicio, y con una historia que se remonta a 4000 aC, la etimología de la palabra “Sidón” se deriva de la palabra “pesca”, o “pueblo pesquero”. Para muchos de los habitantes de Sidón, la pesca, su puerto y toda la actividad marina que lo rodea, siempre fue su principal fuente de ingresos During centuries, the fishing port was gradually getting blocked with sand and debris. In the 13 th century (specifically between years 1227 and 1228), the Crusaders came and built a castle on a small island dominating the sea. It is said that this island was formerly the site of a Phoenician temple. With an aim to defend Sidon’s harbor, the sea castle (also known as the sea fortress) is one of the most prominent archaeological sites in the city. It is connected to the mainland by a narrow but fortified 80 m long causeway built on nine arches, that was later added by the Arabs to provide access to it. With an aim of providing protection against the swelling of the sea, the Sidonians built walls along the natural rocky reef. The typical architecture of the Crusaders however was mostly represented by the Roman columns that were used in the outer walls to reinforce horizontally. Primarily, the sea castle consists of two chambers, one of those chambers is the West tower which is best preserved today. Sadly, the East tower is not very well preserved.