UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Libya
Libya has 5 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List (5 cultural), the first inscribed in 1982 (Archaeological Site of Sabratha). 4 sites are on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The map below plots every one of them alongside the rest of the List, and each site is written up in full further down the page.
- World Heritage Sites
- 5
- Cultural
- 5
- Natural and Mixed
- 0
- First Inscribed
- 1982
Map of World Heritage Sites in Libya
CulturalNaturalMixedIn DangerLarge dots are in Libya. Click a dot to read about the site.
Archaeological Site of Sabratha
Libya · 32.8053° N, 12.4850° E · 1 km² · 23 km from Az Zawiyah
The archaeological site of Sabratha is an excavated Numidian and later Roman city situed near present-day Sabratha, Libya.
It was a Phoenician trading-post that served as an outlet for the products of the African hinterland, and later part of the short-lived Numidian Kingdom of Massinissa before being Romanized and rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Archaeological Site of Sabratha (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Archaeological Site of Sabratha Is Listed
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
More about Archaeological Site of Sabratha
UNESCO's Description
A Phoenician trading-post that served as an outlet for the products of the African hinterland, Sabratha was part of the short-lived Numidian Kingdom of Massinissa before being Romanized and rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
Sabratha, on the coast of Libya 40 km, to the west of modern Tripoli, was founded by Phoenician settlers in the sixth or fifth century B.C. and grew to be a prosperous town during much of the Roman period, though it did not long survive the coming of the Arabs in the seventh century A.D. Today it ranks alongside Leptis Magna as one of the major classical sites of the region. The' modern exploration of the ruins was begun in 1926 during the Italian colonial period and in the ensuing years much of the heart of the town was laid bare. During the period of the British Military Administration immediately after the end of the Second World War, three seasons of work were carried out by a British expedition.
Previously, in 2015, it was endengared by ISIS.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Archaeological Site of Sabratha (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Key Facts
| Area | 0.9 km² |
|---|
Facts from Wikidata Q15052130 (CC0).
Cyrene
Libya · 32.8167° N, 21.8500° E · 1 km² · 2 km from Shahhat
Cyrene, also sometimes anglicized as Kyrene, was an ancient Greek colony and Roman city near present-day Shahhat in northeastern Libya in North Africa. It was part of the Pentapolis, an important group of five cities in the region, and gave the area its classical and early modern name Cyrenaica.
Cyrene lies on a ridge of the Jebel Akhdar uplands. The archaeological remains cover several hectares and include several monumental temples, stoas, theatres, bathhouses, churches, and palatial residences. The city is surrounded by the Necropolis of Cyrene. Since 1982, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city's port was Apollonia (Marsa Sousa), located about 16 kilometres (10 mi) to the north.
The city was attributed to Apollo and the legendary etymon Cyrene by the Greeks themselves but it was probably actually colonized by settlers from Thera (modern Santorini) in the late seventh century BC. It was initially ruled by a dynasty of monarchs called the Battiads, who grew rich and powerful as a result of successive waves of immigration and the export of horses and silphium, a medicinal plant.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Cyrene, Libya (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Cyrene Is Listed
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
- (vi)
- A direct association with events, ideas or beliefs of universal significance.
More about Cyrene
UNESCO's Description
A colony of the Greeks of Thera, Cyrene was one of the principal cities in the Hellenic world. It was Romanized and remained a great capital until the earthquake of 365. A thousand years of history is written into its ruins, which have been famous since the 18th century.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
History
People have lived in Cyrenaica since the Palaeolithic. There is some evidence for settlement in the caves below the Acropolis which may pre-date Greek settlement. It is possible that Minoans and Mycenaeans visited Cyrene in the Bronze Age, since it is on the easiest sea route from the Aegean to Egypt, but the only archaeological evidence for this are separate finds of a small Minoan altar and a Minoan seal, which might have been brought over at a later date.
A Greek myth first recorded by Pindar in the early fifth century BC reports that the god Apollo fell in love with the huntress Cyrene and brought her to Libya, where she gave birth to a son Aristaeus.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Cyrene, Libya (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Leptis Magna
Libya · 32.6383° N, 14.2905° E · 4 km² · 4 km from Al Khums
Leptis or Lepcis Magna, (Arabic: لبدة الكبرى, romanized: Libda al-Kubrā) also known by other names in antiquity, was a prominent city of the Carthaginian Empire and Roman Libya at the mouth of the Wadi Lebda in the Mediterranean.
Established as a Punic settlement prior to 500 BC, the city experienced significant expansion under Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (r. 193–211), who was born in the city. The 3rd Augustan Legion was stationed here to defend the city against Berber incursions. After the legion's dissolution under Gordian III in 238, the city was increasingly open to raids in the later part of the 3rd century. Diocletian reinstated the city as provincial capital, and it grew again in prosperity until it fell to the Vandals in 439. It was reincorporated into the Eastern Empire in 533 but continued to be plagued by Berber raids and never recovered its former importance. It fell to the Muslim invasion in c. 647 and was subsequently abandoned.
After being abandoned, the city was remarkably preserved as it lay buried beneath layers of sand dunes. In the 1920s, the city was unearthed by Italian archaeologists during Italy's occupation of Libya.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Leptis Magna (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Leptis Magna Is Listed
- (i)
- A masterpiece of human creative genius.
- (ii)
- An important interchange of human values.
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
Archaeological Record: Leptis Magna
Birthplace of Emperor Septimius Severus; renowned for its Arch of Septimius Severus, massive Severan Forum, Hadrianic Baths, and sheltered artificial port.
- Site type
- Severan Imperial Maritime Metropolis
- Ancient name
- Lepcis Magna
- Ancient province
- Africa Proconsularis / Tripolitania
- Occupation
- 700 BCE to 643 CE
Pleiades gazetteer: 344448
More about Leptis Magna
UNESCO's Description
Leptis Magna was enlarged and embellished by Septimius Severus, who was born there and later became emperor. It was one of the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire, with its imposing public monuments, harbour, market-place, storehouses, shops and residential districts.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
Climate change
Since they are located on the coast, Leptis Magna ruins are vulnerable to sea level rise. In 2022, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report included them in the list of African cultural sites which would be threatened by flooding and coastal erosion by the end of the century, but only if climate change followed RCP 8.5, which is the scenario of high and continually increasing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the warming of over 4 °C., and is no longer considered very likely. The other, more plausible scenarios result in lower warming levels and consequently lower sea level rise: yet, sea levels would continue to increase for about 10,000 years under all of them.
History
The Punic city was founded in the second half of the 7th century BC. Little is known about Leptis during this time, but it appears to have been powerful enough to repel Dorieus's attempt to establish a Greek colony nearby around 515 BC. Like most Punic settlements, Leptis became part of the Carthaginian Empire and fell under Rome's control with Carthage's defeat in the Punic Wars. Leptis remained highly independent for a period after about 111 BC.
In 111 BC, during the Jugurthine War, the city sent envoys to the Roman Senate asking for the friendship and alliance of Rome, to which it provided assistance against Jugurtha, and obtained in 107 BC the deployment of four cohorts and some colonists from the consul Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Leptis Magna (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Key Facts
| Established | 7th century BCE |
|---|---|
| Area | 3.9 km² |
Facts from Wikidata Q191504 (CC0).
Tadrart Acacus
Libya · 24.8334° N, 10.3333° E · 39,240 km² · 22 km from Ghat
The Acacus Mountains or Tadrart Akakus (Arabic: تدرارت أكاكوس / ALA-LC: Tadrārt Akākūs) form a mountain range in the desert of the Ghat District in western Libya, part of the Sahara. They are situated east of the city of Ghat, Libya, and stretch north from the border with Algeria, about 100 kilometres (62 mi). The area has a particularly rich array of prehistoric rock art.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Acacus Mountains (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Tadrart Acacus Is Listed
- (iii)
- A unique testimony to a cultural tradition or civilisation.
More about Tadrart Acacus
UNESCO's Description
On the borders of Tassili N'Ajjer in Algeria, also a World Heritage site, this rocky massif has thousands of cave paintings in very different styles, dating from 12,000 B.C. to A.D. 100. They reflect marked changes in the fauna and flora, and also the different ways of life of the populations that succeeded one another in this region of the Sahara.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
Geography
The Tadrart Acacus have a large variation of landscapes, from different-coloured dunes to arches, gorges, isolated rocks and deep wadis (ravines). Major landmarks include the arches of Afzejare and Tin Khlega. Although this area is one of the most arid in the Sahara, there is vegetation, such as the medicinal Calotropis procera, and there are a number of springs and wells in the mountains.
History
Tadrart is the feminine form of "mountain" in the Berber languages (masculine: adrar).
The Acacus Mountains were occupied by hunter-gatherers continuously in the Holocene despite fluctuating climate in the African Humid Period. These sites have been important in understanding food processing and mobility as people adapted to climate variation. Animal domestication as part of the African Neolithic was introduced in this region by around 7000 BP, and pastoralism and foraging were the primary subsistence strategies of people in this region, not agriculture.
Sites in this region have been split into three main occupation periods: the Early Acacus, Late Acacus, and Pastoral Neolithic.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Acacus Mountains (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Old Town of Ghadamès
Libya · 30.1320° N, 9.4970° E · 3 km²
The Old town of Ghadames (Arabic: مدينة غدامس القديمة) is the old city of the modern city of Ghadames, Libya and one of Libya's major desert cities. Called the "Jewel of the Desert" the site is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Old town of Ghadames (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Why Old Town of Ghadamès Is Listed
- (v)
- An outstanding example of traditional human settlement or land use.
More about Old Town of Ghadamès
UNESCO's Description
Ghadamès, known as 'the pearl of the desert', stands in an oasis. It is one of the oldest pre-Saharan cities and an outstanding example of a traditional settlement. Its domestic architecture is characterized by a vertical division of functions: the ground floor used to store supplies; then another floor for the family, overhanging covered alleys that create what is almost an underground network of passageways; and, at the top, open-air terraces reserved for the women.
From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).
World Heritage in Libya: Quick Answers
- How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Libya?
- Libya has 5 World Heritage Sites: 5 cultural.
- What was the first World Heritage Site in Libya?
- Archaeological Site of Sabratha, inscribed in 1982. The most recent is Old Town of Ghadamès, inscribed in 1986.
- Are any World Heritage Sites in Libya in danger?
- Yes: Archaeological Site of Sabratha, Cyrene, Leptis Magna, Tadrart Acacus are on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.