Around seventy kilometres west of the Libyan capital of Tripoli are the remnants of an ancient city that has been in ruins since ancient times. As with Oea and Leptis Magna, Sabratha was one of the last large trading cities of the former Tripolitania.

A re-constructed theatre that could accommodate an audience of five thousand is the ancient city’s most impressive building and dates back to the second century B.C. It was built by the Romans whose cultural influence on Sabratha lasted for several centuries.

Several baths, among them the Thermal Salt Water Baths on the coast, give an insight into the high living standards of the city’s former inhabitants and trade with the farmers of the surrounding region helped to make life in the town extremely pleasant.

In the seventh century A.D. the city was conquered by the Arabs. However, they selected another Tripolitanian metropolis as their capital city. Thus the once-glorious Sabratha fell into decay and lay forgotten for several centuries.