Early trade between Phoenicia & the west started from the shores of Tyre. From these waters, Queen Elissar sailed westward. She founded the city of Carthage, in present-day Tunis.

Tyre became one of the earliest trading hubs connecting Bilad al-Sham with Europe. Archaeologists have recovered ancient Carthaginian and Phoenician coins minted in Sicily that feature a female profile. Modern historians identify the face as Queen Elissar of Tyre.

On the shores of Tyre, the color purple was first found, extracted from sea snails and destined to become the color of royalty named by historians: Tyrian Purple.