The grandest Roman city in Africa
Leptis Magna was one of the great cities of the Roman Empire, enlarged and embellished by Septimius Severus, who was born here. The ruins stretch along the coast with remarkable completeness: the four-way Arch of Septimius Severus, the Hadrianic Baths, the Severan Forum and Basilica with carved pilasters, the market and a theatre facing the sea. Much of the city was buried in sand for centuries, which helped preserve it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, east of Tripoli near Al Khums.