About 7,000 years ago, a small neolithic fishing community settled along the coast of what is now known as Lebanon, 37 kilometers north of Beirut. The people began to produce tools and weapons with specialties in shipbuilding, tomb construction and funerary ritual. This demand of products began a period of prosperity, wealth and intense activity for Byblos. But the area was not always peaceful and serene. It was once set on fire by the Amorite tribes, was conquered by Alexander the Great and fell to the power of the Crusaders.

Throughout history, Byblos has always been an important contributor to culture and civilization. About 1200 B.C. the scribes of Byblos developed a phonetic alphbet script. It was the precursor to our modern alphabet. The earliest form of the Phoenician alphabet to date is the inscription on the sarcophagus of the King Ahiram of Byblos.
Today, Byblos is a thriving modern town with an ancient heart. Bylbos ia a mixture of modern sophistication and traditional culture. There are glass-fronted office buildings and crowded streets. Old Byblos streets and byways are a collection of old walls. Some date back to medieval time and are in half ruins.

Byblos'  many restaurants and hotels are well prepared to welcome tourists who are ready to explore the sites where ancient history once took place. Upon leaving old Byblos, one enters the town 's higher elevations in the foothills where there are a number of very old churches such as Mar Semaan chapel. All these historical sites make Byblos one of the most important archaelogical sites in the area.