Ṭubruq

Tobruk has a deep natural harbor on the otherwise exposed coast of eastern Cyrenaica. In antiquity the site was known as Antipyrgon, where a Byzantine garrison guarded an anchorage sheltered from the prevailing northerly winds. The harbor offered refuge to ships crossing the Mediterranean. In 1798 part of the French fleet bound for Egypt entered Tobruk and the nearby Gulf of Bomba, evading British ships while it continued eastward.