The Roman Theatre of Sabratha, has reopened to the public after a restoration project financed by the European Union, and the United Nations Development Programme. (UNDP)
The ceremony was attended by the Dutch Ambassador to Libya, who tweeted “Honored to attend the reopening of the Roman Theatre of Sabratha, financed by EU and UNDP. Jose Antonio Sabadell: A symbol of the great cultural identity and pride that brings together the Libyan people”
After a prolonged closure due to maintenance and structural work, the Sabratha Museum is now open to the public. The museum once was known as Sabratha Classical Roman Museum, and opened in 1932.
Within the framework of the EU-funded Strengthening Local Capacity for Recovery and Resilience Project, UNDP completed the maintenance of the non-historic part of the Roman Theater last year.
In 2016, clashes in and around the archaeological site destroyed parts of this valuable cultural heritage. Some areas such as the workshop were left in ashes due to missile explosions.
The restoration work included the maintenance of the tourism administration offices, the main offices of the Antiquities Administration, the administration building for the tourist police, the workshop, laundries, and the antiquities laboratory. This is in addition to three gates to attract more visitors to the ancient city, and be better equipped to serve them.