.الكيب، نجم الدين غالب. صبراتة في فلك التاريخ. طرابلس: المنشأة العامة للنشر و التوزيع و الإعلان، ١٩٨٢، ١٥٥ص
Al-Kib, Najm al-Din Ghalib. Sabratah fi Falak al-Tarikh. Tripoli: Al-Munshaʼah al-ʻAmmah lil-Nashr wa-al-Tawziʻ wa-al-I‘lan, 1982, 155pp.
ABSTRACT
The History of Sabratah
صبراتة في فلك التاريخ
In fifteen chapters, the book covers the history of the city of Sabratah from the Phoenician era, encompassing the Roman, Vandal, and Byzantine times, up to the Islamic conquest. It gives some explanations of the name ‘Sabratah’ and shows the importance of the city’s geographical location which made it one of the most important centres of maritime as well as land trade in North Africa. In addition to highlighting the economic and cultural prosperity of the city, it refers to the political crises and natural calamities which affected its stability and development.
The author uses an easy language and a simple style which, in addition to the book’s small size and clear division of chapters, make it easy for reading and understanding. Besides, he includes a number of pictures and maps displaying the major archaeological sites in Sabratah. However, the limited size of the book makes its content brief and void of deep analysis. As a result, the work might be used as just an introduction which provides a general overview about Sabratah.
Furthermore, the book stops at the Islamic conquest of Sabratah without addressing the developments witnessed by the city after that period. Hence, the book’s title does not match its content totally because the reader expects it to deal with the city’s various historical stages.
Meriam Ben Amor
Ben Amorj, Meriam. “English abstract of 'The History of Sabratah'". Translated by Meriam Ben Amor. In Cities as Built and Lived Environments: Scholarship from Muslim Contexts, 1875 to 2011, by Aptin Khanbaghi, 112. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2014.
Muslim Civilisations Abstracts - The Aga Khan University
