Byblos


World Heritage Identification Number: 295

World Heritage since: 1984

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇱🇧 Lebanon

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Arab States

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Byblos: An Ancient City Steeped in History and Culture

Byblos, officially known as Jebeil, Jbeil, or Jubayl, is an ancient city located within the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. This remarkable site, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, offers a unique glimpse into the rich tapestry of human civilization that has unfolded along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea over thousands of years.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The ruins of many successive civilizations are found at Byblos, one of the oldest Phoenician cities. Inhabited since Neolithic times, it has been closely linked to the legends and history of the Mediterranean region for thousands of years. Byblos is also directly associated with the history and diffusion of the Phoenician alphabet.

Encyclopedia Record: Byblos

Byblos, also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl, is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000 BC and continuously inhabited since 5000 BC. During its history, Byblos was part of numerous cultures including Egyptian, Phoenician, Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Genoese, Mamluk and Ottoman. Urbanisation is thought to have begun during the third millennium BC when it developed into a city, making it one of the oldest cities in the world, if not the oldest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Additional Site Details

Area: Not available

UNESCO Criteria: (iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions

Coordinates: 34.11917 , 35.6455555556

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Image of Byblos

© Orient at de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.0 de Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli
39 km — Lebanon
Anjar
51 km — Lebanon
Baalbek
53 km — Lebanon
Ancient City of Damascus
91 km — Syrian Arab Republic
Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din
93 km — Syrian Arab Republic

Country Information: Lebanon

Flag of Lebanon

Official Name: Lebanese Republic

Capital: Beirut

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 5,805,962

Population (2023): 5,773,493

Population (2022): 5,744,489

Land Area: 10,230 sq km

Currency: Lebanese pound (LBP)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Byblos are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Byblos, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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