SIDON (Arab. Saida ) , long the principal city of Phoenicia ( q.v. ) , and even in the Middle Ages a place of importance, but now little more than a mere village, is situated on the Syrian coast in 33° 36' N. lat. and 35 20 9" E. long., about midway between Sur (Tyre) and Beirut (Beyrout). The ancient city extended some 800 yards farther inland, over ground now occupied by luxuriant fruit-gardens, on the produce of which the inhabitants of the town live. In front of the flat promontory to which the modern Sidon is confined there stretches northwards and southwards a rocky peninsula; at the northern extremity of this begins a series of small rocks enclosing the harbour, which at present is a very bad one, having been, to some extent at least, purposely filled up. The port was formerly protected on the north by the Kal'at el-Bahr (“Sea Castle”), a building of the 13th century, situated upon an island still connected with the mainland by a bridge. On the south side of the town lay the so-called Egyptian harbour, now quite useless. The wall by which Sidon is at present surrounded is pierced by two gates, those of Beirut and Akko (Acre); at the south-eastern angle, upon a heap of rubbish, stand the remains of the citadel. The streets are very narrow, and the buildings of any interest are few; most prominent are some large caravanserais belonging to the period of Sidon’s modern prosperity, and the large mosque, formerly a church of the Knights of St John. Sidon looks best from the north. Of its 9000 inhabitants 7000 are Mohammedans; there are a number of institutions conducted by Catholic and Protestant Christians. In the neighbourhood are large Phoenician burial-places, which have been partially explored by Renan; the natives also engage in the search for antiquities. ...

or ZIDON, a celebrated city and port of Phenicia, and one of the most ancient cities in the world; as it is supposed to have been founded by Sidon, the eldest son of Canaan, which will carry it up to above two thousand years before Christ. But if it was founded by Sidon, his descendants were driven out by a body of Phenician colonists, or Cushim from the east; who are supposed either to have given it its name, or to have retained the old one in compliment to their god Siton, or Dagon. Its inhabitants appear to have early acquired a preëminence in arts, manufactures, and commerce; and from their superior skill in hewing timber, by which must be understood their cutting it out and preparing it for building, as well as the mere act of felling it, Sidonian workmen were hired by Solomon to prepare the wood for the building of his temple. The Sidonians are said to have been the first manufacturers of glass; and Homer often speaks of them as excelling in many useful and ingenious arts, giving them the title of Πολυδαιδάλοι. Add to this, they were, if not the first shipwrights and navigators, the first who ventured beyond their own coasts, and in those early ages engrossed the greatest part of the then commerce of the world. The natural result of these exclusive advantages to the inhabitants of Sidon was, a high degree of wealth and prosperity; and content with the riches which their trade and manufactures brought them, they lived in ease and luxury, trusting the defence of their city and property, like the Tyrians after them, to hired troops; so that to live in ease and security, is said in Scripture to be after the manner of the Sidonians. In all these respects, however, Sidon was totally eclipsed by her neighbour and rival Tyre; whose more enterprising ...

SIDONIUS APOLLINARIS. See Apollinaris Sidonius.