Siege of Tyre
332 BCE · Tyre, Lebanon
The Siege of Tyre was fought in 332 BCE in Tyre, Lebanon between Macedon vs the Phoenician city of Tyre; Macedonian victory after a seven-month siege and the building of a causeway to the island city.
Siege of Tyre: quick facts
- Date
- 332 BCE
- Location
- Tyre, Lebanon
- Belligerents
- Macedon vs the Phoenician city of Tyre
- Commanders
- Alexander the Great vs King Azemilcus
- Result
- Macedonian victory after a seven-month siege and the building of a causeway to the island city.
- Era
- 🏛️ Ancient Egypt & Mesopotamia
- Quiz difficulty
- medium
What happened at the Siege of Tyre?
Alexander the Great besieged the island city of Tyre, which sat half a mile offshore and was considered impregnable. When the Tyrians refused to submit, Alexander ordered the construction of a massive causeway from the mainland to the island. Despite Tyrian fire ships, naval attacks, and desperate resistance over seven months, Alexander completed the causeway and breached the walls. The city was sacked and 30,000 inhabitants were sold into slavery. The causeway permanently connected Tyre to the mainland, where it remains a peninsula to this day.
Did you know?
The causeway Alexander built to reach the island of Tyre permanently changed the geography of the coastline. What was once an island is now a peninsula connected to the mainland.
Sources and further reading
- Siege of Tyre on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.