Apollonia

Apollonia served as the harbour of the great ancient city of Cyrene and survives today as an extensive ruin field near the Libyan coastal town of Susah. Founded by Greek colonists in the 7th century BC, it grew through Roman rule into a provincial capital in its own right. One of its most striking features: significant portions of the ancient harbour basin have subsided into the Mediterranean due to tectonic movement, and on calm days the submerged quays and structures remain visible beneath the surface. On land, three early Christian basilicas, a Byzantine palace complex, and colonnaded street remnants trace layers of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine occupation. Among the least commercially developed coastal ruin sites in the eastern Mediterranean, Apollonia rewards visitors prepared for a raw, largely unmediated encounter with antiquity.