Currency of Lebanon 250 Livres banknote 1988
Bank of Lebanon - Banque du Liban
Lebanon Banknotes - Lebanon Paper Money
Obverse: The Triumphal Arch and the Great Hippodrome of Tyre. Denomination is in Arabic numeral.
Reverse: Small Altar at Faqra. Denomination in words is in French language.
Main colors: Deep gray-green and blue-black on multicolored underprint.
Watermark: ancient circular scultpure with head at center from the Grand Temple Podium.
Dimensions: 165 x 95 mm.
Printer: Thomas De La Rue & Company Limited, London, England.
Lebanon Banknotes - Lebanon Paper Money
1964 - 1993 Issues
On 1 August 1963 decree No. 13.513 of the “Law of References: Banque Du Liban 23 Money and Credit” granted the Bank of Lebanon the sole right to issue notes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, and 250 pounds, expressed in Arabic on the front, and French (livres) on the back. All of these notes have security fibers embedded in the paper, though the location of them varies from right to left, and front to back, on different denominations.Tyre
Phoenician Tyre was Queen of the Seas, an island city of unprecedented splendor. It grew wealthy from its far-reaching colonies and its industries of purple-dyed textiles. But it also attracted the attention of jealous conquerors, among them the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great.
It was founded at the start of the third millennium BC. Tyre originally consisted of a mainland settlement and a modest island city that lay a short distance offshore. But it was not until the first millennium BC that the city experienced its golden age.
In the 10th century BC, King of Tyre, Ahiram, joined two islets by landfill. Later he extended the city further by reclaiming a considerable area from the sea and built two ports and a temple to Melkart, the city's god. Phoenician expansion began about 815 BC when traders from Tyre founded Carthage in North Africa.
Eventually its colonies spread around the Mediterranean and Atlantic, bringing to the city a flourishing maritime trade.
Recent excavations have uncovered Crusader, Arab, Byzantine and Greco-Roman remains, but the city that has come to light is the Roman and Byzantine settlement.
The loveliest relic is a reconstructed Triumphal Arch. A Necropolis situated on both sides of a long avenue is most impressive, and the Great Hippodrome for chariot racing is remarkable in that it was built of stone while most others were built of brick.
Also in Tyre is the Tomb of King Ahiram (Hiram) (970-936 BC), contemporary of King David (pbuh), who sent cedar wood and craftsmen to build King Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. It is located in Hanawai village on the road to Qana El-Jaleel where Prophet Jesus Peace Be Upon Him turned Water to Wine, 6 km southeast of Tyre.
Roman Hippodrome in Tyre
Tyre's hippodrome dates to the second century. It is 90 meters wide, 480 meters long, had a capacity of about 40,000 people, and was built for chariot races. In the center was a large granite obelish. On both sides were meeting places for the supporters of the teams, which were called the Blues (in the western part of the hippodrome) and the Greens (in the eastern part). These were luxurious buildings, with mosaics and equiped with baths.
Although primarily meant for chariot races, the hippodrome was also used for other types of sport, and it is likely that at least some of the events of the Tyrian Games were celebrated at this place. It may have been the place where, during the Diocletianic persecution, five Egyptian Christians were tortured to death. The hippodrome is singled out as worthy of praise in the Expositio Totius Mundi.