The majestic ruins of the ancient city of Sabratha lie about 80km west of Tripoli,the capital of Libya.They are the high point of any visit to that country.It is thought that the original settlement started in the 4th century BCE.However,by the second century BCE,Sabratha was a thriving city.Its success was based on trade north across the Mediterranean and south into Africa for animals and ivory. In the first century CE, there was a violent earthquake.In the 200 years which followed,the city expanded steadily and became increasingly wealthy.However,when it suffered another earthquake in 365 CE,the buildings simply collapsed. This time the city never really recovered.It was occupied by various armies until it was abandoned in the 8th century CE.It was rediscovered in the early 20th century CE by archaeologists.Since then,some of the major buildings such as the theatre have been reconstructed and many pieces of artwork have been discovered.These can be seen in the nearby musseum.