Roman Hippodrome
Roman Hippodrome
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.5
72 reviews
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Gaby85🇱🇧🇫🇷🇬🇧🇩🇪
Beirut, Lebanon4,234 contributions
Jun 2023 • Friends
Tyre's Hippodrome is a sprawling spectacle of ancient Roman grandeur. The Hippodrome once held up to 40,000 people, who sat along the stadium stands to cheer on chariots races. The ruins are remarkably well preserved and you can climb up the stadium seating through ancient archways and a Roman street. Entrance costs 120,000 LBP and the site is open daily from 8;30 am until sunset
Written June 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Natenote
Stanwood, WA85 contributions
Mar 2013 • Family
I lived in Tyre (Sur) for 7 years, so I've had the chance to spend a lot of time exploring at this site. Most tourists come, walk beneath the Triumphal Arch, climb to the top of the "bleachers" and then get back on the bus. They miss most of the cool parts.
The locals use the ancient Roman chariot track for jogging. There's something about having the extra padding of the dust of centuries to cushion your steps. If you live in town, you're not expected to pay the entry fee.
I'll just list a few of the hidden interest points, and then you can look at the photos I add to check them out. I dare you to try to find them!
There's a place where they used to blow glass in Phoenician days, that still has a big glob of bluish glass in the ground. Find the ruins of the charioteer locker rooms. What about the circular mosaics hidden along the track? Three types of rock were carved into the tombs in the Necropolis, depending on how much you could pay.
By the way, there are two levels of road - Byzantine above, and Roman below. It's quite likely that Jesus walked beneath the Arch. The Bible says he was in the "vicinity of Tyre," and I can't imagine him being in the neighborhood without ever once entering the city.
Better plan on spending the better part of a day exploring. That's all I can say.
The locals use the ancient Roman chariot track for jogging. There's something about having the extra padding of the dust of centuries to cushion your steps. If you live in town, you're not expected to pay the entry fee.
I'll just list a few of the hidden interest points, and then you can look at the photos I add to check them out. I dare you to try to find them!
There's a place where they used to blow glass in Phoenician days, that still has a big glob of bluish glass in the ground. Find the ruins of the charioteer locker rooms. What about the circular mosaics hidden along the track? Three types of rock were carved into the tombs in the Necropolis, depending on how much you could pay.
By the way, there are two levels of road - Byzantine above, and Roman below. It's quite likely that Jesus walked beneath the Arch. The Bible says he was in the "vicinity of Tyre," and I can't imagine him being in the neighborhood without ever once entering the city.
Better plan on spending the better part of a day exploring. That's all I can say.
Written February 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alex C
Pushkin, Russia135 contributions
Jun 2015 • Friends
This place will take you back in time.
The entrance to the sight is from the bus-neighborhood, the fee is like 4$.
The archaeological sight is full of interesting old Roman Byzantine ruins, with many old writings.
You will walk along the old Roman streets and see the famous victory arch, then there is the great roman hippodrome, at the center which there is the ruins of an old crusaders church with the signs of the legions scratched on its internal walls.
If you are in Tyre, enjoy its beach and historical sights.
The entrance to the sight is from the bus-neighborhood, the fee is like 4$.
The archaeological sight is full of interesting old Roman Byzantine ruins, with many old writings.
You will walk along the old Roman streets and see the famous victory arch, then there is the great roman hippodrome, at the center which there is the ruins of an old crusaders church with the signs of the legions scratched on its internal walls.
If you are in Tyre, enjoy its beach and historical sights.
Written July 29, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ablingdon
Jakarta, Indonesia159 contributions
Feb 2018 • Friends
These ruins are well worth a visit. The area is large and has a number of significant buildings, including a graveyard and well-preserved road. The hippodrome itself is the first one I have seen which puts into perspective the scale of these buildings as the basic shape of the hippodrome remains. Be careful as our driver took ages to find them and apparently did not know they existed. He also then did not know there is another section of Roman ruins y the sea. These are also spectacular, with a mosaic road, glassworks, baths, and what is believed to be a temple.
Written February 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cora_v
Kyiv26,140 contributions
May 2013 • Solo
Roman Hippodrome in Tyre (Sour) makes part of the huge and impressive Al-Bass archaeological site. It was excavated only in the previous century and is arguably the largest and best preserved out of all circuses left from the Roman period. Dates back to II century, and is said to occupy the area of about 480x160m (length x width) and once able to accommodate about 20-30,000 race visitors.
Apart from the typical Roman circus performance space - the U-like arena grounds, there are also the remnants of seats as well as the so-called spina (a median strip) with a pink granite obelisk in the middle and metae (few turning points) at its ends to be seen. And if you look good enough, you can still find the remaining bits of mosaics through the grass. But all in all it takes a good deal of fantasy to imagine the events taking place here in the past - no information can be found on spot.
I was told the chariot race scene in Ben-Hur, the US epic drama and Oscar-winner movie, was shot here in Tyre Roman Hippodrome.
Despite being part of an archaeological site, it is still used by the local schools as a stadium - there were students running in circles around the arena when I visited it.
Apart from the typical Roman circus performance space - the U-like arena grounds, there are also the remnants of seats as well as the so-called spina (a median strip) with a pink granite obelisk in the middle and metae (few turning points) at its ends to be seen. And if you look good enough, you can still find the remaining bits of mosaics through the grass. But all in all it takes a good deal of fantasy to imagine the events taking place here in the past - no information can be found on spot.
I was told the chariot race scene in Ben-Hur, the US epic drama and Oscar-winner movie, was shot here in Tyre Roman Hippodrome.
Despite being part of an archaeological site, it is still used by the local schools as a stadium - there were students running in circles around the arena when I visited it.
Written November 24, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gyan Fernando
Exeter, UK6,488 contributions
Jan 2020
A fairly well preserved Roman Hippodrome with a largely intact grandstand and an obelisk. Someone had left a white horse nearby which was rather funny.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IrishAdventureGirl
Dublin, Ireland67 contributions
Mar 2018
You can actually see the vastness of this Hippodrome as there are parts remaining on north, south, east and west sides. If you have a good imagination you could picture the chariots racing around the oblong race track - Ben Hur style. It is unfortunate that they have not manicure the grass on the inside as I think it would help. The ruins themselves are good shape. well worth spending a few hours strolling around this UNESCO site.
Written April 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mahdi norouzian
Qom Province, Iran34 contributions
May 2019 • Friends
We visited the ruins and they are very special but unfortunately not preserved properly,you need to read about it before you go .
Written May 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda
Jounieh, Lebanon439 contributions
Apr 2019 • Friends
Simply amazing and very well preserved youll get there on the path you walk on once you enter to the archeological site of tyre ruins. On Google Maps its (al bass archeological site).
Do not miss this place youll be blown away. Entrance fee as a lebanese was less than $2.2
Do not miss this place youll be blown away. Entrance fee as a lebanese was less than $2.2
Written April 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
E.R.
Harrow, UK145 contributions
Sept 2018 • Couples
The Hippodrome is a must see - that it could seat thousands of Romans alone is enough to get your imagination flowing. It’s such a shame that it is no longer in tact after the Crusaders removed large chunks of it, but nevertheless you can still sit high up on the remaining stone and marble seating to get a better impression of the truly magnificent scale, and skill of the Romans.
Written September 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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