Coast of Tripolitania

Tripolitania takes its name from three ancient coastal cities: Sabratha, Oea and Leptis Magna. The western shore is a flat belt dotted with oases, separated from the hills of the interior by the dry Jefara plain. Farther east the hills turn towards the Mediterranean and follow the coast towards Cape Misurata. The sea before these shores joined the cities to the wider Mediterranean, while the land behind them led towards the desert.