Tyre residents were taken back thousands of years when they saw a fully functional Phoenician vessel anchored in the local fishing port.
Elia Barbour, a 71-year-old wooden-boat and ship builder, took a year to complete the historically accurate Phoenician vessel, using history books, paintings and ancient images for the design.
On the prow of the vessel he carved a horse’s head, a prominent symbol of the Phoenicians.
The vessel, which can hold 30 people, is 12 meters long, 3.8 meters wide and 1.60 meters deep. It is still being sea-tested by the builder.
Barbour, who used measures and specifications from Phoenician boats, said he hoped to equip the vessel with an engine for long-distance sailing.
Phoenician cultures traded through the use of merchant ships, though according to various Greek writers, they also made war ships.
Among the goods the Phoenicians traded were perfumes, spices, tin, bronze, ivory, gold, and animal skins.
Archaeologists believe the vessels used by Phoenicians carried not only cargo but also a number of smaller boats ­ a bid to ensure additional safety at sea and also a means of shipping cargos ashore. However, it is not clear where these boats would have been stowed.