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Gazelle Hotel, Zliten, Libya
The Gazelle Hotel (Albergo alle Gazzelle, Hotel des Gazelles) in Zliten (זליתן, زليتن), Libya (לוב, ليبيا).
Description
The Gazelle hotel was designed by the Italian Jewish architect Umberto Di Segni in 1936. The hotel still stands, it is currently home to the Museum of Zliten (1). However, the museum does not hold one of Zliten’s most famous artifacts. Held in the Archaeological Museum, Tripoli, the Zliten Mosaic was found on the coast east of Leptis Magna, around AD 200. The mosaic shows gladiatorial contests alternating with animal hunts. Across the top border, one can see musicians and combat between equites (2).
While the Museum of Zliten does not hold the famous mosaic it does hold other artifacts that might relate to the Jewish community that originally settled in Zliten in the 2nd century (3). The museum is important enough that it is included in an effort to protect museums in Libya that began in 2011 (4).
Sources
1. Elisabetta Longari, “Revolution in Libya: If the War Eradicates History,” DOMUS (Domusweb, September 14, 2017), https://www.domusweb.it/en/opinion/2011/03/15/revolution-in-libya-if-the-war-eradicates-history.html.
2. “Zliten Mosaic,” Zliten mosaic, accessed August 5, 2021, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/zliten.html.
3. “Zliten,” dbs.anumuseum.org.il, accessed August 5, 2021, https://dbs.anumuseum.org.il/skn/en/c6/e190725/Place/Zliten.
4. “Zliten Mosaic,” Zliten mosaic, accessed August 5, 2021, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/zliten.html, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/libyan-studies/article/libyan-cultural-heritage-in-danger-the-museums-of-tripolitania/37673C1BFF0F98ADF0123469C6CBBCD9.