Saint Louis Castle

The Castle of St. Louis (or Qalaat Al Muizz) was erected by the Crusaders during the Frankish occupation of Sidon, on what is reputed to have been the acropolis of the ancient city. Remains of a theater have been recently found there also.

The French king, Louis IX, better known as St. Louis, appears to have spent a long time at the castle, and this is perhaps why the cite is attributed to him. The citadel was probably completely demolished, then rebuilt by the Arabs.

To the south of the citadel is a mound of debris called Murex Hill. A talus of crushed shells of murex shells (correctly, specimens of Bolinus brandaris and Hexaplex trunculus) along the western slope can still be seen. This artificial mound (100 m. long and 50 m. high) was formed by the accumulation of refuse from the purple dye factories of Phoenician times. Mosaic tiling at the top of the mound suggests that Roman buildings were erected there when the area was no longer used as the city's dumping ground. Part of the hill today is covered by the cemetery of the Moslem Shiite community of Sidon.