The Italian quarters of Frankish Tyre: mapping a medieval city

The study of the urban history and topography of the Italian quarters in Frankish Tyre is presented through detailed analysis of medieval texts, charters and inventories. The thirteenth-century report and inventory by the Venetian official Marsilio Zorzi is given particular attention due to its elaborated descriptions of several parts of the city. This is the first attempt to map Frankish Tyre and study its commercial quarters. The reconstruction of each quarter is followed by a discussion of the role played by the commune in the Frankish city and its contribution to it. It is demonstrated that the Venetian, Genoese and Pisan communes contributed significantly to the urban design of the city, incorporating the existing markets, bakeries and bath-houses, adding others and supplementing them with new churches and loggias.