Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1905-12-07
The City of Sidon.

Sda or Sidon Is located about thirty
miles south of Beyroth on the sea coast.
1t was named for Sidoon, the oldest son
of Ham, the son of Noah. 1t was built
before Tyre. See Gen. chapter 10 and
Judges ist chapter. This city at one
time was the main port of Syria and sur
rounding country.
The present buildings in this city are
we'll constructed of stone. The streets
are narrow. In its early days it had a
wide commerce, but at the present time
the seat of government is at Beyroth,
where it has been since I84I. Before
that it was at Sidon. 1t has 5000 in
habitants. This city is surrounded with
the finest orange farms in that part of
the country. 1t also has large parks and
orchards of all the fruit grown in any
part of the world are found in its gardens.
Those farms are irrigated from the
river that supplies the city with water
from water works Sdon and Tyre were
first built in 200 b. c.
Tyre is short distance south of Sidon
and is a district of Sidon. When the
Jews took Palestine they called it the
Great Baraba. From there its govern
ment spread TO the northwest until il
united with Tyre and became a branch
of the Israelitish tribe, Asher. In 72o
B. c. the Persians captured it and it was
then under the control of the king of
Persia and Babylon. Babylon helped
Persia with her fleet at the time king
Shiros claimed it. That was 35I B. G.
The same year the people rebelled against
their king, Agos the Great, and the new
king surrendered it against the will -of
his people and they destroyed the city
and burned themselves to death rather
than to fall into the hands of the enemy.
In the year 332 B. c. Alexander the
Great took and rebuilt it without any
trouble. At this time the city govern
rnent was uncertain. One day it would
be under one government and the next
under another.
The Romans captured all Phoenicia
and Syria. History relates that this city
was the scene of many wars and was torn
down and destroyed in 1891 A. D., when
the French got control of it, but they did
not rebuild all of it until 1880. Facheo
Deem Maan dragged the harbor and made
it possible for ships to anchor. He also
built many fine buildings for commerce
and made other improvements. After
that the French established commercial
interests between it and Damascus. In
| 1891 A. d. Ahmad Pasha drove the
| French out and her commerce ran down
to nearly nothing.
In this city are many of the old ruins
| of Bible times and tombs of kings of
Syria.
In 1855 the city was destroyed by All
earth quake, but was rebuilt again. In
| 1896 it was greatly afflicted with cholery,
great many died with the dread disease.
In 1870 the British feet took it, dam
aged its new fort and destroyed the great
wall of the old fort which had been built
about 1000 years. 1t stands near the
old Sidon ruins, about two miles FROM
the sea shore.
In January, 1855, an old fashioned half
moon circle bell was discovered in the
ruins with a lot of tablets with writing
on them. The bell and tablets are all at
Paris i'll the museum. In 1858 number
of stone jars were discovered with a
quantity of gold coin which amounted to
$40, 600. From the inscription it showed
to have been coined at the time of Alex
ander the Great, about 332, b. {.
The city is two,thirds Mohamadon.
The other third is made up of Christians
and Jews. 1t has several large schools
for the Christians and only one school
for the Mohamadons and one for the