Sidon Old City and Khan al-Franj
Explore the ancient old city of Sidon, one of the oldest cities in the world, where the covered souk, the Khan al-Franj, and the Grand Mosque create a remarkably intact medieval urban landscape.
- 1
Old City Entry
Enter the Sidon old city through one of the traditional gates where the covered market begins immediately, the ancient commercial center of this 6,000-year-old city still functioning as a working market for local residents.
- 2
Khan al-Franj
Visit Khan al-Franj, the Caravanserai of the Foreigners, built by the Emir Fakhreddine II in the 17th century for French merchants, its elegant arcaded courtyard now serving as a cultural center in one of Lebanon finest examples of Ottoman architecture.
- 3
Great Mosque
See the Great Mosque of Sidon converted from the Crusader Church of St. John of the Knights Hospitaller, the minaret built from the church tower in the transformation that occurred after Saladin's reconquest of the city.
- 4
Covered Souk
Walk the covered souk lanes where traditional trades including gold, spices, textiles, and food continue in the vaulted passageways of the old city, the commercial character of Sidon unchanged in its fundamentals for millennia.
- 5
Soap Museum
Visit the Soap Museum in a restored khan where the traditional Sidon soap industry is documented and demonstrated, the olive oil soap of Sidon having been traded throughout the Mediterranean since antiquity.
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Ottoman Architecture
Admire the Ottoman residential architecture of the old city where elaborate wooden balconies overhang the narrow streets, the 17th and 18th century houses of wealthy merchants preserved in varying states of renovation and decay.