Tocra
Half Day
Founded around 510 BC,
Tocra was one of the first ports settled
from Cyrene. Tocra was built using soft
sandstone, which has proved unable to
withstand the earthquakes that the centuries
have wrought upon the Cyrenaican.
After passing through the gate into Tocra,
you walk between columns in varying states
of disrepair. Over the wall to your right
are the excavated remains of Roman tombs
cut into the rock wall of a sunken pit.
The fort itself, no more than 100m from
the gate, is compact and attractive: the
current structure dates from the Turkish
and Italian eras.
Outside the gate and to the west, a small
archaeological railway runs west to the
Eastern Basilica, in which the skeleton
of the main sanctuary, apse and baptistry
are visible as are some ancient Greek
inscriptions. The Greek gymnasium, the
remains of the city wall and necropolis
are visible nearby.
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