Tyre is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, though in medieval times for some centuries by just a tiny population. It was one of the earliest Phoenician metropolises and the legendary birthplace of Europa, her brothers Cadmus and Phoenix, as well as Carthage’s founder Dido (Elissa). The city has many ancient sites, including the Tyre Hippodrome, and was added as a whole to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1984.

The Islamic University of Lebanon (IUL) was finally licensed in 1996 and opened a branch in Tyre. Its Board of Trustees is dominated by representatives of the Supreme Shiite Council, founded by Sadr in 1967, located in the ruins, which are heritage and are cared for like that.