AIN ZARA. — Locality in Libya, approximately 13 km south of Tripoli, where a remarkable early Christian necropolis has been discovered, consisting generally of above-ground tombs built in the form of chests, with inscriptions incised and then painted on the plaster. Many of them are preserved. The language is Latin, with frequent use of symbols; the palaeography is very poor, references to liturgical texts are numerous, and there are no consular dates. These tombs date from the first centuries of Arab rule and are an important document for the fortunes of Christianity in Libya during that obscure period. The nearby necropolis of En Ngila, situated approximately 12 km farther west, has the same character and similar value.
BIBL.: The excellent edition is that of S. Aurigemma, L'area cemeteriale cristiana di Ain Zara presso Tripoli di Barberia, Rome 1932; for Ngila, V. R. Paribeni, in Africa Italiana, 1 (1927), p. 76 ff. Antonio Ferrua