Atlas of Battles

siege, major, medieval

Siege of Tyre

Siege of Tyre was a siege conducted on 12 November 1187 at Tyre, in what is now Lebanon; it lasted 50 days. It was part of Crusades, which ran from 1095 to 1291. The recorded result: Crusader victory. Recorded strength: 40,000+ soldiers; 17 galleys against 20,000–25,000 soldiers; 10 galleys.

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Miniature: Battle of Tyre, 1187
Miniature: Battle of Tyre, 1187. Jean Colombe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought12 November 1187lasted 50 days
WhereTyre, Lebanon33.267N, 35.200E
OutcomeCrusader victory
BelligerentsKingdom of Jerusalem; Lordship of Sidon; Knights TemplaragainstAyyubids
Casualties and lossesLightandHeavy
Part ofCrusadesCrusader battles between 1149 and 1189

Where it sits in Crusades

First Siege of Arsuf 1099, 1099Battle of Melitene, 1100Battle of the Dog River, 1100Siege of Caesarea Maritima, 1101Siege of Tripoli, 1102Battle of Jaffa, 1102Siege of Acre, 1103Siege of Edessa, 1104Siege of Acre, 1104Battle of Harran, 1104Battle of Akkum, 1108Battle of Turbessel, 1108Siege of Beirut, 1110Battle of Shaizar, 1111Siege of Tyre, 1111Seljuk campaign on Edessa, 11121113–1115 Balearic Islands expedition, 1113Battle of Al-Sannabra, 1113Battle of Sarmin, 1115Battle of Ager Sanguinis, 1119Battle of Hab, 1119Battle of Saruj, 1122Battle of Gerger, 1123Battle of Yibneh, 1123Battle of Manbij, 1124Siege of Aleppo, 1124Battle of Azaz, 1125Battle of Beirut, 1126Battle of al-Atharib, 1130Battle of Ceyhan River, 1130Battle of Rafaniyya, 1133Battle of Qinnasrin, 1135Zengid campaign against Antioch, 1135Battle of Tripoli, 1137Battle of Ba'rin, 1137Battle of Teqoa, 1138Siege of Aleppo, 1138Siege of Shaizar, 1138Siege of Edessa, 1144Fall of Saruj, 1145Siege of Edessa, 1146Battle of Inab, 1149Battle of Aintab, 1150Siege of Ascalon, 1153Siege of Paneas, 1157Battle of Lake Huleh, 1157Siege of Shaizar, 1157Battle of Marash, 1161Crusader invasions of Egypt, 1163Battle of al-Buqaia, 1163Battle of Harim, 1164Siege of Gaza, 1170Siege of Ayla, 1171Siege of Alexandria, 1174Battle of Montgisard, 1177Battle of Hama, 1178Battle of Banias, 1179Battle of Marj Ayyun, 1179Battle of Jacob's Ford, 1179Attack on Acre, 1179Crusader raids on the Red Sea, 1182Battle of Belvoir Castle, 1182Battle of Al-Fule, 1183Siege of Kerak, 1183Battle of Cresson, 1187Siege of Kerak, 1187Siege of Tiberias, 1187Battle of Hattin, 1187Conquest of Jerusalem, 1187Siege of Tyre, 1187Siege of Belvoir Castle, 1187Siege of Laodicea, 1188Siege of Al-Shughur, 1188Siege of Sahyun Castle, 1188Siege of Trapessac, 1188Siege of Safed, 1188Albigensian Crusade, 1209Battle of Hama, 1230Battle of Trapessac, 1237Siege of Jerusalem, 1244Battle of Forbie, 1244Battle of Jaffa, 1256Fall of Haifa, 1265Fall of Caesarea, 1265Fall of Arsuf, 1265Battle of the Orontes, 1265Siege of Safed, 1266Battle of Al-Ruways, 1266Fall of Jaffa, 1268Fall of Beaufort Castle, 1268Siege of Antioch, 1268Fall of Krak des Chevaliers, 1271Fall of Gibelacar, 1271Fall of Montfort Castle, 1271Siege of Margat, 1285Fall of Tripoli, 1289Siege of Acre, 1291Fall of Ruad, 1302Battle of Amorgos, 1312Battle of Chios, 1319Battle of Adramyttion, 1334Battle of Tripoli, 1367Battle of Beirut, 152010991520Siege of Tyre, 1187
103 placed engagements of Crusades in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date12 November 1187
to 1 January 1188
PlaceTyre, Lebanon
33.267N, 35.200E
KindSiege, medieval
Strength40,000+ soldiers; 17 galleys20,000–25,000 soldiers; 10 galleys
Casualties and lossesLightHeavy
Commanders
  • Conrad of Montferrat
Siege of TyreSiege of TyreSiege of TyreSiege of TyreSiege of TyreSiege of TyreSiege of TyreSiege of TyreTel AvivDamascusBeirutṬarābulusHaifaNablusNazarethAs Suwayda100 km33.267N, 35.200E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Tyre
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Tyre today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-09-26. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 0 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -3 to 142 m, 146 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 66% water, 14% tree cover, 13% built-up.

water: 66%tree cover: 14%built-up: 13%grassland: 4%water 66%tree cover 14%built-up 13%grassland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 114 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 19 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 6 times between 586 BC and 1243.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1187

Siege of Tyre is one of 459 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 69 in present-day Lebanon.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2176345, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Tyre (1187), revision 1370746127, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.