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| By Kamal Ghazal |
Tyre (Sour), Lebanon’s fourth most important city, is a coastal gem founded around 2750 BCE and located roughly 83 kilometers south of Beirut. Known for its deep history, ancient ruins, and enduring cultural heritage, Tyre also harbors something less known to tourists but alive in local lore: a site said to be haunted by the jinn, supernatural beings from Middle Eastern folklore.
In the heart of Tyre’s old quarters stands the “Sabath,” a crumbling stone archway, believed by locals for centuries to be a gathering spot for jinn. To pass beneath it is not merely to cross into another alley but, according to popular belief, to risk stepping into another realm.
One of the most knowledgeable locals about this eerie place is Suleiman Khairallah (nicknamed Abu Mohammad), a longtime resident whose family has lived near the Sabath for generations. He has preserved and retold the spine-chilling stories woven into the neighborhood’s oral history tales he claims are not merely fiction but born of real events.
Here are four of the most enduring legends linked to the Sabath:
1️ - The Jinn’s Court
About forty years ago, Hassan Kurdi, a butcher’s assistant in old Tyre, was returning home late at night, as usual carrying his meat knife. To reach home, he had to pass under the Sabath. But that night, as he approached the arch, he felt an ominous presence.
The moment he stepped beneath it, Hassan heard a chilling scream and suddenly found his knife and hand covered in blood. Panicked, he tried to run, but his body froze, the archway seemed to close in, trapping him. Desperate, he reached out, only to have his hand pass straight through the stone.
Screaming in terror, Hassan stayed frozen until the blood vanished and the stone “released” him. Exhausted, he made it home ,only to find himself confronted by a phantom tribunal of jinn, accusing him of killing one of their own beneath the Sabath.
2️ - Possession by the Jinn
On another occasion, a man named Hassan Shour (Abu Khalil) approached the Sabath, only to be blocked by a female jinni. She demanded that he carry her to the sea. When he refused and tried to push her away, she attacked and possessed him. For eight days, Hassan was trapped in torment until a spiritual healer from the village of Jouya intervened and freed him.
3️ - The Oil Jar Spirit
A man named Fadel Faris once passed under the Sabath and found an old oil jar, seemingly intact and usable. He brought it home, but later that night, a voice from the kitchen called his name. Investigating, Fadel found the jar itself pleading with him to return it. Disturbed, he brought the jar back to the Sabath, only to learn from local elders that the jar had been the dwelling of a young jinni girl.
4️ - The Blue Dress
Fifty years ago, Suleiman Khairallah’s father and a friend were walking along a road known locally as “the Road of Fear” or “the Road of the Ancient Sycamores,” a path infamous for ghost stories. Suddenly, they stumbled upon a strange wedding celebration , hosted by the jinn.
Among the crowd, the friend pointed out a woman wearing a striking blue dress, whispering, “That’s my wife’s dress!” To test this, Suleiman’s father lit a cigarette and casually burned the edge of the dress.
The next morning, when they arrived home, the friend asked his wife to bring out her blue dress. She did , and sure enough, the cigarette burn was right there.
Echoes of the Past
Today, the Sabath remains just an old stone arch to the casual visitor, but to those who grew up under its shadow, it’s a threshold between worlds. Its stories reflect Lebanon’s rich tradition of oral folklore where ancient myths, local fears, and mysterious encounters continue to shape the cultural fabric of places like Tyre.
So, if you ever find yourself wandering through Tyre’s narrow alleys, and you spot the crumbling Sabath archway, remember: you may be walking through more than just history , you may be stepping into the realm of the unseen.
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