Ladder of Tyre

Ladder of Tyre (Aramaic: Sûlama de Ṣôr, Greek: Ἡ κλίμαξ Τύρου, Latin: Scala Tyriorum), also known as the Ladder of the Tyrians and the Promontory of Tyre, is a geographical feature mentioned in Greek and Hebrew sources, distinguished by a littoral mountainous range, the highest point of which is distant 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi) north of Acre in northern Israel. The range stretches beyond Tyre in southern Lebanon. Along its Mediterranean coastline, the Ladder of Tyre skirts an area of about five miles wide at its greatest width, and is distinguished by capes that jut westward into the sea from the ridge which runs parallel to the general line of the coast. These capes project more than a mile into the sea, and rise precipitously at a mean elevation of 250 feet (76 m) above sea level. The Ladder of Tyre is mentioned in the First Book of Maccabees (11:59), the writings of Josephus, the Babylonian Talmud, and the Jerusalem Talmud.

The Ladder of Tyre, shown in Aaron Arrowmsmith's 1815 map A Sketch of the Countries between Jerusalem and Aleppo

According to the Babylonian Talmud, the waters of the region were formerly known for the marine mollusk Murex, harvested for its blue-dye. The 1st-century historian Josephus puts 100 stadia (c. 11½ mi.; 18½ km) from the north of Acre to the highest point in the promontory known as the Ladder of Tyre. This high place is now associated with the Rosh HaNikra grottoes, which marked the southern pass into Phoenicia proper, and formed the boundary between that country and the kingdom of Israel. According to Josephus, a place nearby was also known for its fine, crystalline sand used in glass making.

Adolf Neubauer and Henry Baker Tristram thought that the Ladder of Tyre was to be identified with Cape Blanco (Ras el-Abyad, 'White Cape'), about 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi) north of Rās en-Nakūrah (the Arabic name of Rosh HaNikra; see above) and belonging to the same mountain range. According to historical geographer Joseph Schwarz, where the Mount Amana range terminates at the rock cliffs of Rās en-Nakūrah, "on this rock is a narrow ascent, shaped somewhat like steps, by which its summit can be reached; hence it is called in the Talmud the Ladder of Tyre." Conder was of the same opinion, that the promontory of Nakūrah was the same as the ancient Ladder of Tyre. Historical geographer, Isaac Goldhor, places the Ladder of Tyre at a distance of 3 biblical miles from Achziv.

• 1836

• 1839

• 1881

• 1900

• 1900

• 1918

• 1918

• 1920

• Ladder of Tyre, Library of Congress

• Survey of Western Palestine, Map 3: IAA, Wikimedia commons