Tobruk has a long history stretching back to the Greeks who colonised it before it became a Roman fortress town guarding the frontier of Cyrenaica. Later it was an important way point for traders travelling along the coastal caravan route. It became infamous however during the Second World War as the site of intense armoured fighting between the Axis and Allied forces.

Today Tobruk is still an important port and large container ships can be seen in the harbour but the most poignant sights are the war cemeteries on the outskirts of town. On the 10th April 1949 the Allied garrison was attacked by Rommel's Africa Korps who laid siege to the town for 240 days.