The Siege of Tyre was a siege of the city of Tyre, a strategic coastal base on the Mediterranean Sea, orchestrated by Alexander the Great in 332 BC during his campaigns against the Persians. The Macedonian army was unable to capture the city through conventional means because it was on an island and had walls right up to the sea. So Alexander blockaded and besieged Tyre for seven months.

Alexander the Great ordered his engineers to use the debris of the abandoned mainland city to build a causeway and once within reach of the city walls, he used his siege engines from both the causeway and his ships to batter and finally breach the fortifications. It is said that Alexander was so enraged at the Tyrians' defense and the loss of his men that he destroyed half the city. According to Arrian, the Tyrian losses were about 8,000, while the Macedonians lost 400.

Alexander granted pardon to the king and his family, whilst the 30,000 residents and foreigners taken were sold into slavery. Tyre, the largest and most important city-state of Phoenicia, was located both on the Mediterranean coast as well as a nearby Island with two natural harbors on the landward side. The Island lay about half a mile from the coast in Alexander’s day, its high walls reaching 60 m (200 feet) above the sea on the on the east, landward facing, side of the island.

At the time of the siege, the city held approximately 40,000 people, though the women and children were evacuated to Carthage, an ancient Phoenician colony. The Carthaginians also promised to send a fleet to their mother city’s aid. As Alexander did not have much of a navy, he resolved to take the city and thus deny the Persians of their last harbor in the region.

After months of trying to capture Tyre the Persian fleet surrendered about 332 BC. This enabled Alexander to attack from all sides.

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