Sidon
Sidon was a coastal city in the region known as SyroPhoenicia. The name Phoenicia was from the Greek, meaning land of purple, for the area was famous for its purple dyes made from shellfish. Syro was a prefix given to the region after it was annexed to the Roman province of Syria. Phoenicia was a narrow coastal territory, corresponding to much of the Lebanon of today, stretching from Mount Carmel in the south to Acco in the north, roughly 200 miles in length.
Like Israel, much of it is mountainous inland, but with a very fertile coastal plain and uplands. Phoenicia was famous for its lush plant life, flowers, fruit and trees. The cedars of Lebanon were shipped to most parts of a land largely devoid of trees suitable for timber. Thus, there were many land and sea trade routes with northern Israel. But with these contacts came pagan religious influences and idolatry. Hosea 14: 5-10
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