Sabratha, the most important archaeological site of western Libya after Leptis.

Sabratha was selected as an emporium, or trading post, by Phoenician merchants for its position 43 km west of Zuwara and 66 km east of Oea.

Proof of this settlement consists of beaten floors alternating with layers of wind-blown sand under the first permanent houses of Sabratha north of the Forum. The floors indicate makeshift huts,and the depths of the layers of loose sand show the length of periods during which the site was abandoned. Sabratha as we see it nowadays is first and foremost a creation of the Roman genius for building cities.

The Romans shaped it after the destruction of Carthage in 146 B.C. and remained so until the Vandals concerned themselves with the fate of Sabratha in 455 B.C. Carthage was retaken by Count Belisarius in 533 B.C for Justinian thus the Vandal empire was short-lived. Held in the basilica is the celebrated Byzantine mosaic, with the Mausoleum Bes ( built of sandstone ), dating back to the Punic era. Finally in 642-3 A.D Sabratha was taken by the Arabs, the town prospered under them until 748 A.D until trade moved to Tripoli and the town bagan slowly to loose its importance and finally was left abandoned.