Zuwarah

Zuwarah

Zuwarah, Zuwara, or Zwara (Arabic: زوارة) is a coastal city in north-western Libya. Zuwara is famous for its beaches and seafood. It is situated 102 km (63 mi) west of Tripoli and 60 km (37 mi) from the Tunisian border. It is the capital of the Nuqat al Khams district. Zuwarah consists of 49 districts. The settlement was first mentioned by the traveller Abdallah al-Tijani in the years 1306-1309 as Zwara al-saghirah ("Little Zwarah").[3] In the Catalan Atlas (1375) it was called as Punta dar Zoyara. The town is mentioned by Leo Africanus in the 16th century. It later served as the western outpost of Italian Libya (1912–43), being the terminus of the now-defunct Italian Libya Railway from Tripoli 105 kilometres (65 mi) to the east. Its artificial harbour shelters a motorized fishing fleet. Cereals, dates, and esparto grass (used to make cordage, shoes, and paper) are local products.