Zliten (Arabic: زليتن‎ Zlītan) is a town in the Murqub District of Libya. It is located on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea west of the Gulf of Sidra. It was the capital of the former Zlitan District.

Location

The name Zliten is given to both the town and the whole area. As a town, Zliten is situated 160 km (99 mi) east of the capital, Tripoli, and about 35 km (22 mi) east of the ancient Roman city of Leptis Magna. It is about 60 km (37 mi) west of the city of Misrata and 40 km (25 mi) east of Khoms. It has spread over an area of about 8 km² (3.1 sq mi). The ex district of Zliten is widespread and covers an area of 3,000 km² (1,200 sq mi). It is surrounded by the Mediterranean from the north, Misrata from the east, Bani Walid from the south and Khoms from the west.

Name

The name is derived from the name of the Isliten tribe, an old branch of the Nafzawa Berbers. Members of this tribe used to live in Libya and Tunisia, but are also known to have lived as far west as Morocco. They are mentioned by Leo Africanus in the 16th century as living in western Libya.