Top 10 Lighthouses in Lebanon
Lebanon's Mediterranean coast is barely 220 kilometres long, yet it has been one of the most intensely used maritime corridors in history. The Phoenicians, whose cities occupied this narrow strip between the Lebanon Mountains and the sea, were the greatest navigators of the ancient world, establishing colonies from Cyprus to Carthage and trading tin from Cornwall in their deep-bellied merchantmen. The rocky headlands, offshore reefs, and the winter westerlies that drive swells hard into this east-facing coast made navigation demanding and lights necessary. The Ottoman Empire systematised lighthouse provision across the Levant in the nineteenth century, and the structures that survive today at Beirut and Tripoli reflect that period's engineering. Lebanon's lighthouses have operated under extraordinary conditions — through civil war, Israeli bombardments, economic collapse, and the catastrophic port explosion of August 2020 — yet the towers still stand and the lights still turn. They are managed by the Lebanese Navy, with varying levels of maintenance that reflect the country's prolonged institutional difficulties.
1. Beirut Lighthouse (Manara), Beirut
The Manara Lighthouse — manara being the Arabic word for lighthouse, derived from the same Semitic root as the French phare and the Latin pharos — is Beirut's most prominent maritime landmark, standing on the Ras Beirut headland at the southwestern tip of the city. The white cylindrical tower dates from the Ottoman period, substantially rebuilt or extended during the French Mandate era (1920–1943), and stands approximately 18 metres. It shows a white flashing light visible around 15 nautical miles. The lighthouse compound is a Lebanese Navy facility, but the structure is the defining feature of the Raouché corniche, Beirut's beloved seafront promenade. The nearby Pigeon Rocks — dramatic sea stacks at the base of the cliffs — draw thousands of visitors daily, and the lighthouse on the headland above is inescapable from this part of the city.
2. Ras Beirut Secondary Light, Beirut
Adjacent to the Manara, the navy maintains secondary lights and sector lights on the Ras Beirut headland to guide vessels into the approach for Beirut Port, which lies some distance to the northeast along the bay. These secondary structures are operational rather than historic in character, but they form part of the navigational framework for a port that handles the bulk of Lebanon's imports. Beirut Port gained tragic international prominence in August 2020 when the explosion of improperly stored ammonium nitrate killed more than 200 people, injured thousands, and devastated large parts of the city. The port's reconstruction has been slow and the area remains sensitive.
3. Enfeh Lighthouse, Enfeh
Enfeh is a small promontory jutting into the sea between Tripoli and Batroun, and the lighthouse here — a white tower of modest height on a rocky headland — is one of Lebanon's lesser-known maritime aids. Enfeh was historically a salt-production centre, its coastal salinas visible on either side of the promontory, and the lighthouse marked this low cape for coastal dhows and fishing vessels navigating between Tripoli and Beirut. The surrounding area is peaceful, the headland easily explored on foot, and the lighthouse is among the more accessible on the Lebanese coast outside the major urban centres.
4. Tripoli Lighthouse, Tripoli
Tripoli — Tarablus in Arabic — is Lebanon's second city and its northern port, a city of great historic depth with a magnificent Crusader-era citadel and a maze of medieval souks. The lighthouse at Tripoli marks the approach to the port of El Mina (the harbour district), a white tower on the sea front that guides vessels through the approach across the shoals fringing the coast. The tower is of late Ottoman or Mandate-era construction, approximately 14 metres tall, and shows a white flashing light. The El Mina waterfront, with its fish restaurants and fish market, is one of Lebanon's most agreeable harbour settings, and the lighthouse is visible from the seafront promenade.
5. Batroun Lighthouse, Batroun
Batroun is a small coastal town south of Tripoli with one of the Levant's most remarkable ancient monuments: a Phoenician seawall of enormous limestone blocks, constructed some two to three thousand years ago to protect the harbour from winter surf. A small lighthouse on the northern headland of Batroun marks this stretch of coast, a modest but active structure. The town has become a destination for Lebanese weekenders attracted by its small beach, its wineries (the surrounding hills produce good white wine), and its relaxed atmosphere relative to Beirut. The lighthouse and the Phoenician wall together offer a compressed version of Lebanon's extraordinary layered history.
6. Jounieh Bay Light, Jounieh
Jounieh Bay, north of Beirut, is Lebanon's marina and water-sports capital, its horseshoe bay flanked by resort hotels and the lower terminus of the famous cable car that rises to the shrine of Harissa. A light marks the entrance to the marina and the approach to Jounieh's small commercial wharf. The bay's clear water and sheltered anchorage made it a favourite of the Phoenician navigators; today it is filled with powerboats, jet skis, and the ferry to Cyprus that provides Lebanon's only sea link to Europe.
7. Sidon Lighthouse, Sidon
Sidon (Saida) was one of the two great Phoenician city-states, its name meaning 'fishing' in the ancient Semitic language, and the city occupied its promontory on the coast south of Beirut for millennia. A lighthouse marks the approach to the modern port of Sidon, a white structure on the northern breakwater of the harbour. The ancient harbour, partially silhouetted by the Crusader Sea Castle on its offshore islet, is one of the most evocative sights in the Levant. The lighthouse is an operational port facility, but the surrounding area is freely accessible and the view of castle, harbour, and lighthouse together is memorable.
8. Tyre Lighthouse, Tyre
Tyre (Sur) was in antiquity the dominant Phoenician city, from whose shores Carthage was colonised, the purple dye of Tyrian murex was traded, and according to legend Europa was carried off by Zeus. The lighthouse at Tyre marks the modern port, a white tower of modest height active on the breakwater. The ancient harbours of Tyre — the continental harbour and the island harbour, now connected to the mainland by the causeway built by Alexander the Great — are partially visible in the archaeological zone of the Al-Bass site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fishing port, flanked by a fine beach of golden sand, is an atmospheric place to end a day visiting the Roman ruins.
9. Naqoura Lighthouse, Naqoura
Naqoura, near the Israeli border, is the headquarters of UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, and its coastal location is marked by a navigation light. The southern Lebanese coast is strategically sensitive and has been subject to repeated conflict; the lighthouse here represents the continuing effort to maintain navigational safety on a coast that has seen some of the eastern Mediterranean's most intense military activity in recent decades.
10. Jiyeh Lighthouse, Jiyeh
Jiyeh on the Lebanese coast south of Beirut gained unwanted international attention in 2006 when Israeli strikes on the power station there caused a major oil spill into the Mediterranean, affecting Lebanese beaches and the coasts of Syria and Cyprus. The lighthouse at Jiyeh marks this headland, a functional structure associated with the power station complex. The coastline here has largely recovered from the spill and forms part of the stretch of coast between Beirut and Saida that is increasingly developed for beach tourism.
Visiting Lebanon's Lighthouses
The Manara Lighthouse in Beirut is the most easily visited, visible from the Corniche at any hour. Tripoli and its El Mina harbour are best reached by service taxi or bus from Beirut's Cola transport hub — the journey takes under an hour on a good day. Sidon and Tyre lie to the south and can be visited in combination, about one to two hours from Beirut by road. Lebanon's coastal cities are year-round destinations, with spring and autumn offering the most pleasant temperatures. Visitors should stay current with travel advisories given Lebanon's volatile security situation. Open the map to explore the full network of lights along this ancient Phoenician coast.