"Archeolgy and Landscape" a Shahhat Travel Page by marenloo

Shahat is approximately 220 k.m. east from Benghazi . It was the capital of pentapolis , and the 2nd important city in the ancient world after of course Athens . It’s an archeological city that has lots of Greek remains.
The city of Cyrene (Shahat) is situated on the remains of the ancient city of "Kurena", which is just an Arabic name of Cyrene. Its height is 621 meters above sea-level. The site is rich in archaeological monuments .
The story Cyrene as a colonial of Greek immigrants from the island of Thera (modern Santorin) had been mentioned as a mixture of legends, heard traditional stories and historical facts .This event date is nearly, 631 B. C. It seems that toward the middle of the seventh century B.C. an event caused a crisis due to over population which arose in the small Aegean island plus a seven-year period of drought giving rise to distress that forced emigration. The immigrants came to Libya through the Gulf of Bomba (In VT has been mentioned as Bamba ).
Pindar, the ancient Greek poet, described it in one of his odes as ''the city built on a gold crown".
Cyrenaicans , as well as Athena’s people love
science ,and philosophy. Famous philosophers of Cyrene were Callimachus, Carneader and Aristippus. The Kingdom of Cyrene reached its grandeur about 400 B.C.

During its settlement, the city waged war on two fronts, one war was launched against the Libyans, the owners of the country, while the other war was pointed against Carthage. However, the two wars ended in reconciliation and peace among the belligerents. In the fourth century. Cyrene acknowledged the reign of the Ptolemais, the successors of Alexander the Great, and later on the reign of the Roman Empire.

The Jewish Rebellion in Cyrene
During the reign of Emperor Tarjan in (115-116) A.D. an extensive Jewish rebellion broke out in Cyrene. It was cruelly quelled and most of the public buildings were destroyed, resulting the decline of life in the entire city. Cvrenaica was then in a sorry state after the quelling of this uprising. Both cities were half-destroyed by the revolt.

The Emperor Justinian (A.D. 527-565 ) was active in city restoration throughout his shaky reign . He then ordered the repair of the aqueduct of Ptolemais, a measure which brought some small gasp of life back to that city; and at Berenice new public baths were constructed. Special care was equally devoted to the fortifications of the towns, and fortresses in the outlying areas, including Antipyrgos (Tobruk) and Boreurm (near Minaa Brega in the Syrtic region).

The city is then invaded as long as the whole Cyrenaican area , by the Arab Muslim army led by Amr bin al-as who expulsed the Roman existence from the area , and from the whole north Africa. That was in the time of Heraculs

Shahat today is a small town on the green mountain , very close to the remains of the great city Cyrene.
It's officially belongs to Albaydha .
It's famous of agriculture . Fruits , espicially apples, grapes , and so on are grown there.
Visitors of Shahat usually spend there nights in Albaydha which is the largest city in Aljabal Alakhder , 18 km from Shahat