From about 2500 B.C., inhabitants of the Tell worked the bedrock to create the first harbor facilities, allowing small boats to be pulled ashore, while larger ships anchored in relative safety.
Although the inauguration of Khan Antoun Bey in 1853 led to some modernization of Beirut Port, the rapid expansion of maritime trade following the construction of the Suez Canal (1859-1871) called for a more ambitious response.
Under the French Mandate, a new jetty extended the Ottoman Wall another 800 meters into the sea, thus creating the largest harbor in the Eastern Mediterranean.
From about 2500 B.C., inhabitants of the Tell worked the bedrock to create the first harbor facilities, allowing small boats to be pulled ashore, while larger ships anchored in relative safety.
A well-protected harbor to the northeast and a sheltered natural basin southwest of the castle's cliff offered safe anchorage in almost any wind conditions.
Roman engineers enlarged the western basin with concrete seawalls, and the harbor extended halfway into the modern Foch-Allenby District.
Although the inauguration of Khan Antoun Bey in 1853 led to some modernization of Beirut Port, the rapid expansion of maritime trade following the construction of the Suez Canal (1859-1871) called for a more ambitious response.