Sayda, also Saida, city and seaport, southwestern Lebanon, on the Mediterranean Sea, near Beirut. It is a center for the export of olive oil, oranges, and lemons and also for the cultivation of silk, tobacco, and figs. In ancient times it was a city of Phoenicia, famous for its wine and purple dyes. In the surrounding area are numerous rock-cut burial places of the ancient Phoenicians, in which have been found the sarcophagi of Eshmunazar, king of Assyria, and others. The city was badly damaged in warfare in the early 1980s. Population (1998 estimate) 38,000.
