Misratah

Misratah stands on the Mediterranean plain east of Tripoli, where coastal farms and wells support a city with deep commercial roots. Its name is associated with an Amazigh people of the region, and its markets connected the coast with inland caravan routes. Medieval merchants traded wool, oil and goods arriving from central Africa with Venice. Under Ottoman rule Misratah became an important centre in eastern Tripolitania, its merchants continuing to link the Mediterranean shore with the Saharan interior.