Lixus (ancient city)

Lixus
ليكسوس (Arabic)
Lixus location on the map
Alternative nameChoumis / Tchoumis / Choumich
LocationLarache, Larache Province, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Morocco
RegionMorocco
Coordinates35°12′3″N 06°05′55″W / 35.20083°N 6.09861°W / 35.20083; -6.09861
TypeSettlement
History
Founded7th century BC
PeriodsPhoenician, Punic-Mauretanian, Roman
Official nameArchaeological site of Lixus (Tentative)
TypeCultural
Criteriaii, iii, iv
Added to Tentative List1995
RegionNorth African States

Lixus (Berber : ⵍⵓⴽⵓⵙ, Phoenician: 𐤋𐤊𐤅𐤔) is an ancient city founded by Phoenicians (8th–7th century BC) before the city of Carthage. Its distinguishing feature is that it was continuously occupied from antiquity to the Islamic Era, and has ruins dating to the Phoenician (8th–6th centuries BC), Punic (5th–3rd centuries BC), Mauretanian (2nd century BC–AD 50), Roman (AD 50–6th century AD) and Islamic (12th–15th centuries AD) periods.