Wender·Vista
Cyrene
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileLibya
in the Jebel Akhdar, eastern Libya, near Shahhat

Cyrene

— — a Greek city the desert held.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“An ancient Greek and Roman city on the green ridge of the Jebel Akhdar, about ten kilometres inland from the Mediterranean. Founded by colonists from Thera in 631 BC and named for the spring of Cyre. The Temple of Apollo still stands above the sanctuary, the Temple of Zeus on the eastern hill. A UNESCO site since 1982, kept by Libyan archaeologists through a long quiet.

from the studio
Cyrene
— bring it home

Cyrene, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Cyrene

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Cyrene lies on the northern slope of the Jebel Akhdar, the Green Mountain that rises from the Libyan coast in the eastern region of Cyrenaica. The ruins sit at about 600 metres above sea level near the modern town of Shahhat, roughly ten kilometres from the small port of Apollonia. Greek colonists from the island of Thera founded the city in 631 BC, drawn by the spring of Cyre that still flows below the Sanctuary of Apollo. UNESCO inscribed Cyrene in 1982 for its Greek and Roman remains.

— the stone

The site holds five terraces of building, from the Sanctuary of Apollo at the spring up through the agora and the Caesareum to the Temple of Zeus on the eastern acropolis. The Temple of Zeus is one of the largest Doric temples of the ancient world, roughly the scale of the Parthenon. The Roman-era theatre seats about a thousand. Local limestone was quarried from the cliffs above the city. A 2011 storm damaged several structures, and conservation work has been intermittent since.

— the visit

Cyrene was placed on the World Heritage in Danger list in 2016 after a period of unauthorised construction and looting during the Libyan civil conflict. Visits depend on the security situation, the local Department of Antiquities at Shahhat, and travel advisories from foreign ministries. The drive from Benghazi runs about 220 kilometres east along the coast road. Spring, March through May, offers the wildflowers the Jebel Akhdar is named for and temperatures in the low twenties Celsius.

— where
Libya · Jabal al Akhdar District
— elevation
600 m · 1,969 ft
— position
32.8250° N · 21.8580° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
18 km N
Apollonia
ancient port
2 km E
Shahhat
modern town
100 km W
Ptolemais
ancient city
220 km W
Benghazi
regional capital
N
Cyrene
Apollonia
Shahhat
Ptolemais
Benghazi
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Cyrene — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

Greek colonists from Thera founded the city in 631 BC, making it about 2,650 years old. It became the most important Greek settlement in North Africa and gave its name to the region of Cyrenaica.

On the northern slope of the Jebel Akhdar in eastern Libya, near the modern town of Shahhat, about ten kilometres inland from the Mediterranean and 220 kilometres east of Benghazi.

The Sanctuary and Temple of Apollo above the spring, the Temple of Zeus on the eastern acropolis, the Roman-era theatre and forum, the agora, and the necropolis cut into the cliffs west of the city.

Yes, inscribed in 1982 for its Greek and Roman ruins. It was added to the World Heritage in Danger list in 2016 owing to conflict-related damage and unauthorised construction in the surrounding area.

Access depends on the security situation in eastern Libya and on guidance from the Libyan Department of Antiquities. Travel advisories from most Western governments remain cautious. Local guides operate from Shahhat when conditions allow.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Cyrene matters to Libyan cultural heritage and to scholars of the Greek world. A Medium glossy in a study or library sits well; a Keepsake travels easily to a far address.

It holds against Mediterranean-modern rooms, scholarly libraries with leather and walnut, and Mountain-modern interiors where the warm stone palette settles into the wall.

A single Large carries above a console; a four-tile Mural fits the proportion of a standard sofa; a nine-tile Mural reads as a feature piece in a study or an entry.

Yes, in Dura Satin or Matte. Both finishes are scratch-resistant and hold up around showers and sinks, and clean with a soft cloth and water.

Yes. Painted in-house by Reid Wender in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink visual language, then hand-finished in Knoxville. Single studio, no licensing.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.