The Byzantine Museum at Qasr Libya holds one of the finest collections of Byzantine floor mosaics in North Africa. The mosaics were discovered in 1957 during the excavation of two sixth-century churches — the Eastern and Western churches of ancient Olbia (Theodorias) — and nearly 50 panels have been lifted and preserved in the museum. The panels depict animals, allegorical figures, personifications of cities and seasons, and scenes from classical mythology with vivid colour and considerable artistic sophistication.
What makes the collection remarkable is its completeness and variety. One panel shows the city of Alexandria; another depicts Ktisis (Generosity) as a crowned female figure; others show a hippo, a crocodile, a hunter, and a lighthouse. The imagery is a mix of Christian symbolism and surviving classical tradition — exactly the kind of cultural hybrid that characterised Byzantine North Africa. The museum building is modest, but the mosaics themselves are world-class and largely unknown outside specialist circles. If you are in eastern Libya, this is not to be missed.