The marble columns
Rows by the sea.
joepyrek from Richmond, Va, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · joepyrek from Richmond, Va, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · joepyrek from Richmond, Va, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · joepyrek from Richmond, Va, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · joepyrek from Richmond, Va, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0
Apollonia is an ancient city on the coast of Cyrenaica near the modern town of Susa, founded by Greek colonists as the port of Cyrene. It combines remains on the shore with others under water, and its white columns by the sea make a scene very different from upland Cyrene. The site is usually quiet, far from any crowds. It became independent of Cyrene at the latest when the area came under Rome, as one of the five cities of the Pentapolis, and in the 6th century it became the capital of the province of Upper Libya. It was also known as Sozusa, the source of the modern name Susa. Urban life ended after 643, and the modern town grew up long afterwards. You see rows of Byzantine marble columns, churches with stone floors and the remains of houses and walls. Earthquakes put the early layers of the city under water, and rocky islets appear near the shore. From the edge you look over the old harbour and the blue sea, and the place looks finest in morning light. It is about 13 km in a straight line from Cyrene and about 12 km from Shahhat, and it is best to combine them in one day. The ground is exposed, so bring a hat and water, and take care walking on the stones. Sources say foreigners need a tour operator or local sponsor to visit Libya. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to this area, so check official guidance before planning.
Rows by the sea.
Stone floors.
Rocky islets by the shore.
Susa, Jebel Akhdar coast, north-eastern Libya
Earthquakes lowered the early layers of the city below sea level.
We found no official guidance, so ask your guide and beware of rocks and currents.