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SYRTIS
Two bodies of water off the northern coast of Africa dreaded by ancient mariners. The larger was known as Syrtis Major and the smaller as Syrtis Minor. The former was the water to which Paul and his shipmates were dangerously drifting after leaving the island of Crete on their voyage to Rome. A furious northeasterly wind had crossed their course, threatening to push their ship southwestward across the Mediterranean into Syrtis Major (Acts 27:17).
Syrtis Major, now called the Gulf of Sidra, indents the coast of Libya and stretches 275 miles (442.5 kilometers) from the town of Misratah to the city of Banghazi. Syrtis Minor, now known as the Gulf of Gabes, is an indenture into the eastern coast of Tunisia. These bodies of water were feared for their quick shifting sandbars that produced unpredictable shoals and hazardous tides and currents.