Leptis Magna

Leptis Magna was an ancient city on the Mediterranean coast of Libya, about 120 kilometers east of modern Tripoli, founded as a trading post by Phoenician settlers in the 7th century BC and later expanded under Roman rule. It became the birthplace of the emperor Septimius Severus, who as a native son endowed the city with a new forum, basilica, colonnaded street and triumphal arch after becoming emperor in 193 AD, and its remaining monuments, including its theatre, forum and market, rank among the largest and best preserved Roman archaeological remains in North Africa; it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 and placed on UNESCO's list of heritage in danger following Libya's 2011 conflict.