The City of Sidon is 43 km south of Beirut. There is evidence that the city was inhabited as long ago as 4000 B.C. and perhaps as early as Neolithic times (6000 – 4000 B.C.). It is dominated by the Sea Castle, a fortress built by the crusaders in the early 13th century on a small island connected to the main land by a causeway. From the roof of the Sea Castle is a breathtaking view of the port and the old city. Visitors to Sidon must see: The Sea Castle, the Rest House, the Souks, Khan El Franj, the Great Mosque, the Castle of St. Louis, the Murex Hill (from which the Phoenicians extracted their famous purple dye) and the port channel harbor. Recent excavations underneath the Castle of St. Louis have revealed well-preserved remains of a Phoenician town.