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Sabratha, in the Zawia district in the northwestern
corner of modern Libya, was the westernmost of the
"three cities" of Tripolis. It lies on the
Mediterranean coast about 65km (40 miles) west of
Tripoli (ancient Oea). The extant archaeological
site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
in 1982.
Sabratha's port was established, perhaps about 500
BC, as a Phoenician trading-post that served as a
coastal outlet for the products of the African
hinterland. Sabratha became part of the short-lived
Numidian Kingdom of Massinissa before being
Romanized and rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries
AD. The Emperor Septimus Severus was born nearby in
Leptis Magna, and Sabratha reached its monumental
peak during the rule of the Severans. The city was
badly damaged by earthquakes during the 4th century,
particularly the quake of AD 365. It was rebuilt on
a more modest scale by Byzantine governors. Within a
hundred years of the Arab conquest of the maghreb,
trade had shifted to other ports and Sabratha
dwindled to a village.
Besides its magnificent late 3rd century theatre,
that retains its three-storey architectural
backdrop, Sabratha has temples dedicated to Liber
Pater, Serapis and Isis. There is a Christian
basilica of the time of Justinian and remnants also
of some of the mosaic floors that enriched elite
dwellings of Roman north Africa (for example, at the
Villa Sileen, near Al-Khoms), although these are
most clearly preserved in the coloured patterns of
the seaward (or Forum) baths, directly overlooking
the shore, and in the black and white floors of the
Theatre baths.
There is an adjacent museum containing some
treasures from Sabratha, but others can be seen in
the national museum in Tripoli. |