Gerisa
Gerisa is an archaeological site in the pre-desert area of Tripolitania, in central-west Libya. The remains form a compact Roman-period settlement with temples, houses, fortified farms and two cemeteries filled with decorated mausoleums. The site shows how local people and Roman settlers built farms and towns at the edge of the Sahara.
The site keeps several well-preserved mausoleums and tombs that mix Roman styles with local Berber traditions. These tombs are carved and decorated, and they are one of the main reasons researchers value the place.
Gerisa sits along the Limes Tripolitanus, the Roman frontier system, and it grew as soldiers and farmers settled the area. You can still see remains of farm buildings and waterworks that show how people tried to farm in a dry land.
The site is compact and atmospheric. Walking among the ruins gives a clear sense of a small farming town that once supported a community in an otherwise harsh landscape.