Biblical Background
God asked Jonah to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. But Jonah ran away from the Lord and went to Joppa (presently known as Yafa) where he found a ship going to the port of Tarshish in order to flee from the Lord. Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea which created a violent storm around the ship threatening to break it. The crew was afraid and threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. Then the sailors cast lots to find out who was responsible for the calamity. The lot fell on Jonah and they asked him who he was, where he came from. Jonah told them that he was running away from God. As the sea was getting rougher, the sailors asked Jonah what they should do to make the sea calm down. Jonah told them to pick him up and throw him into the sea and it would become calm because it was his fault that the storm came upon them. The sailors took Jonah and threw him overboard and the sea became calmer.

But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah where he spent three days and three nights praying and repenting. “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah unto dry land.” Later Jonah went to Nineveh and preached its people who repented and believed in God.

It is well known from historical tradition that the place where Jonah was vomited by the great fish is the coastal area of Jiye (north of Sidon) where mosaics from old churches were found showing the whale vomiting Jonah to land. This coastal area for hundreds of years is well known as Ras Nabi Younes which means the Land Inlet of Prophet Jonah.

Click on photos to enlarge

Location of Ras Nabi Younis in Jiye

Prophet Jonah and the Great Fish