Byblos

Also known as Jubayl, Gubla, Gval, Geval

Byblos ( ; ), also known as Jbail, Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl (, locally ), is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000BC and continuously inhabited since 5000BC. 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 Her

OverviewAI-generated

Byblos, also known by its official name جبيل, is a city and archaeological site located in the Jbeil District of Lebanon. It has served as a capital for both the Jbeil District and the Lordship of Gibelet. The settlement is situated on Mount Lebanon and holds the designation of a World Heritage Site. Its history dates back to the Neolithic period, with an inception recorded at 8000 BCE.

The city covers an area of 5 and sits at an elevation of 10 above sea level. It operates in the UTC+02:00 and UTC+03:00 time zones. Byblos is twinned with the administrative bodies of Patras, Cádiz, and Agia Napa. While some data sources list a population of 0 for a specific location named Haï er Raml within the Mont-Liban region, the city itself is recognized as a human settlement and city-state.

Synthesized by Vinony from 58 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, Open Meteo, Openweathermap, OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Firecrawl, Vinony collections, Vinony graph, Geo. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Weather now

cached 5h ago

28°clear sky

59% 2.3 m/s OpenWeatherMap

7-day forecast

via Open-Meteo

Place details

Locality: جبيل
Region: محافظة كسروان جبيل
Country: لبنان
Population: 20,784
Timezone: Asia/Beirut

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Air quality

65US AQIModerate

PM2.5: 19.5 µg/m³
PM10: 28.0 µg/m³

As of 2026-08-11 03:00 · Open-Meteo

Key facts

Settlement.name: Byblos
Settlement.native_name: جُبَيْل
Settlement.other_name: Jebeil
Settlement.native_name_lang: ar
Settlement.settlement_type: City
Settlement.image_skyline: Byblos Libanon 2003.JPG
Settlement.image_alt: byblos
Settlement.image_caption: Byblos Old Town
Settlement.pushpin_map: Lebanon#Middle East2
Settlement.pushpin_map_alt: Map showing the location of Byblos within Lebanon
Settlement.pushpin_map_caption: Location within Lebanon
Settlement.pushpin_relief: 1
Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.subdivision_name: Lebanon
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Governorate
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Keserwan-Jbeil
Settlement.subdivision_type2: District
Settlement.subdivision_name2: Byblos

via Wikipedia infobox

Official website

BALDATI

jbail-byblos.gov.lb →

Link to the official site · 23,932 chars · not written by Vinony

Travel guide

Understand

300px|thumbnail|Traditional Lebanese house

Byblos is a true microcosm of the civilizations that have populated Lebanon over the centuries. Arguably one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, the modern port city of Byblos is built upon multiple layers of ruins, dating back to as early as the Stone Age and extending to the more recent Ottoman days. A visit to Byblos is a chance to walk through the annals of Lebanese history and experience firsthand the diverse cultures that have made this area a mosaic of civilizations. Byblos is not simply a picturesque seaside town, but has a history that has been closely tied to the Mediterranean for millennia.

A major book (in French), Je m'appelle Byblos (My name is Byblos), by Jean-Pierre Thiollet, H & D, 2005.

Get in

If you are coming from the north or from Beirut, you can easily take a taxi or bus to Byblos. Remember that Byblos is the historical name and many Lebanese refer to the city as Jbeil. Another option is to take a bus or minibus that goes to Tripoli, ask them to drop you off at the highway exit of Byblos. From there it is only a short walk to the historical centre.

Get around

Jbeil is a small city so getting around should not be a problem for tourists. You can find many taxis and buses in Jbeil and you can contact the Byblos taxi company at +961 9949494 24h/24h 7 days a week.

Buy

The old city of Byblos shelters a souk (market in Arabic) extremely popular for its souvenirs and antiques.

Jbeil (or Byblos) is also home to many supermarkets and stores and you can find everything from clothes to electronics to home appliances...

Eat

Byblos has many restaurants and cafes, including Lebanese, Chinese food and fast food restaurants such as Pizza Hut and McDonald. Byblos Old port is also home to many restaurants that mainly serve sea food from which you can have a great-panoramic sea view. The old souk in jbeil also contains many great side-way cafes and restaurants with a great view and a romantic atmosphere.

Byblos Fishing Club. This restaurant is located on the Mediterranean Sea. It's the perfect place to have a great lunch or romantic dinner. Decorating the walls are pictures of many international personalities that have visited the restaurant, including Brigitte Bardot, Jaques Chirac, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Fraga Iribarne.

Eating here is one of the most memorable experiences you can have in Lebanon. The food is great, the atmosphere is wonderful-especially in Summer-and compared to many other restaurants in the area it is very affordable.

Drink

Jbeil has some open air bars and clubs. These pubs and bars provide music, drinks and great atmosphere, they are mainly located in the old souk. Prices mainly range from $10 to $30. And you can always go have a free walk among these side by side pubs.

Sleep

To the North of Byblos Harbour, overlooking the beach there is a great hotel called Hotel Ahiram. Walking distance to everything. Plenty of hotels all over the city.

Go next

If you want to travel to any other part of Lebanon, contact any taxi/bus driver and he'll know how to take you there. If you're travelling outside Lebanon, get a taxi to the airport in Beirut (Rafic Hariri International Airport) and book your tickets there.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~20 min read