The untold story of how Congress is helping save a Lebanese cultural jewel
A US senator created the American Committee for Tyre 35 years ago, and now former Hill staffers are bringing it back to life.
![Tyre.jpg](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2015/09/Tyre.jpg/Tyre.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=fi5x_VFt)
For a brief moment this spring, Washington became the de facto capital of the long-lost Phoenician civilization.
A who’s who of DC power-players — current and former lawmakers, ambassadors and former administration officials — gathered at the Library of Congress on June 3 along with some 50 guests from around the world to celebrate Tyre Day. They were there to breathe new life into efforts to save the historic Lebanese port city — and to commemorate the late Sen. Claiborne Pell, who helped birth the US movement 35 years ago.