Latrun Basilicas

At Al-Atrun on the Cyrenaican coast stand two Byzantine churches, the eastern one substantially intact with its apse, columns and much of its wall height surviving, built of local limestone in the fifth or sixth century when this coast was densely settled and Christian. They stand in the open above the sea with nothing else around them. The stone has weathered to a warm colour and the setting is the main part of the effect. The name Latrun comes from the Arabic form of the Greek for the place, and the site sits on a stretch of coast that carried a dense scatter of Byzantine churches.

What you actually see

• The eastern basilica - the better preserved church with apse and columns standing.
• The western basilica - the second building alongside it.
• The limestone masonry - local stone weathered to a warm colour.
• The coastal setting - the churches standing alone above the sea.

When to go

March to May and October to November are the comfortable months. Summer is hot on the coast. Winter brings rain.

Honest expectations

The site is unfenced and unmaintained with stone falling. There is no interpretation. Travel in Libya requires arrangements through a licensed operator.

Nearby

Ras al-Hilal is east, and Apollonia is west.