Welcome

Libya, the fourth largest state in Africa, is located in North Africa and lies between latitudes 33?N and approximately 20?N and longitudes 8?E and 25?E. It possesses a Mediterranean coastline of approximately 1820 Km in length. It is bordered by Egypt to the east, Sudan to the south-east, Chad and Niger to the south with Algeria and Tunisia to the west and north-west respectively. Libya has an area of approximately 1,775,500 sq. km, 3 times the surface area of France, and a population of about 4,500,000 (1995), the capital city being Tarabulus (Tripoli).
Libya is a cultural and geographic bridge firstly between Egypt and the Arabian lands to the East, the mashreq and the territory of the Arab W, the maghreb. Secondly, Libya acts as a link between the Mediterranean/Europe and Saharan Africa. The Arabic spoken in Libya is generally different from the French-influenced Arabic of the Maghreb with its quite separate accent and dialect from the Arabic of the Nile valley.

Tripoli, or Tarabalus Al-Gharb (Tripoli of the West in Arabic), is the major city and de facto capital of Libya. The climate of Tripoli is Mediterranean with hot dry summers, cool winters and some modest rainfall. Weather can be variable, influenced by the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea which moderates daily temperature ranges.
The old walled city of Tripoli, the Medina, is one of the classical sites of the Mediterranean. The basic street plan was laid down in the Roman period when the walls were constructed on the landward sides against attacks from the interior of Tripolitania. The high walls survived many invasions, each conqueror restoring the damage done. In the 8th century the Muslim ruler built a wall on the sea-facing side of the city. Three great gates gave access to the town, Bab Zanata on the west, Bab Hawara on the south east and Bab Al-Bahr in the north wall.

The castle, Al-Saraya Al-Hamra, occupies a site known to be pre-Roman in the east quadrant of the old city and still dominates the skyline of Tripoli. Any tour of the old city should begin at the castle, entered from the land side near Suq Al-Mushir. It houses a library and a well-organized museum and has excellent views over the city from the walls. The Castle Museum is essentially concerned with the archaeology and ancient history of Libya. It covers the Phoenician, Greek and Roman periods well and has an expanding collection of materials on the Islamic period.

The old city has several key elements worth visiting. The old city walls are still standing and can be climbed. The Harbour Monument stands at the gates of the old city on the edge of the former corniche road adjacent to the castle. There are a number of restored houses, consulates and a synagogue in the narrow streets of the old city.

There are a number of interesting mosques including the Karamanli Mosque, the En-Naqah Mosque and the Gurgi Mosque both in the old town and adjacent to it. The best known of the Tripoli mosques is the Gurgi Mosque with its elegant architecture. It was built comparatively recently in 1833 by Yussef Gurgi. If the traveller wishes to view just one of Tripoli's mosques, the Gurgi Mosque is the one to choose.

Modern Tripoli spilled out from the tight confines of the old city as early as the 18th century and possibly before that. The main commercial streets lie in the centre. Most lead off Green Square in front of the castle. All street names are in Arabic but Libyans will assist in giving directions. Walking around Tripoli centre is straight forward. For a tour of the modern city on foot begin in Green Square and travel West along Sharah Omar Mukhtar to see the private business district. Turn round at the Tripoli Fair building and return to Green Square from which go due South down Sharah Mohammed Magarief towards the post office and former cathedral. From the post office square (Maidan Al-Jaza'er) either turn directly right to Sharah Tahiti and thence right again into one of the commercial thorough-fares with small Arab lock-up shops or go on past the post office towards the People's Palace and thence right to the harbor front and back towards the Green Square. This itinerary shows the best if the modern city.

Situated on the eastern edge of the Gulf of Sirte, Benghazi ranks as the second largest city in Libya and a major commercial center. The city today displays little of its ancient heritage, as it was pretty much pummeled into ruin during WWII. Benghazi makes a great base for exploring the lush Green Mountain area and the numerous Roman ruins along the coast, and there are good bathing beaches within a quick drive.

With a good pair of walking shoes, you can cover central Benghazi easily on foot. The covered souqs are open daily, but they really come alive on Friday morning, when the whole city seems to convene for a shopping spree. The main covered market, the Souq al-Jreed on Sharia Omar al-Mukhtar, sells all manner of clothes and household goods, while not far off the street becomes a pedestrian precinct or small shops and cafes.

Further south, the horizon melts into the immense desert of dunes and mirages. The breathtaking scenery is enough to thrill any explorer.
The great Libyan Sahara desert is one of the last real wildernesses on the planet earth. In the 19th century, when explorers first began to cross the Sahara, no journey was considered more hazardous. Today with the benefit of modern vehicles, it is comparatively safe but just as exciting, and destinations that used to take days to reach now take only a few hours.

Once upon a time deep in the Sahara an ancient city lived under a spell defended by high walls and tens of triangular rooftop crenellations. A deep silence held in the narrow streets, the caravans from remote sudan no longer came. The story could continue with cliches of white robed figures and hot winds blowing over the oasis. The desert ghost town, Ghadames is real enough however famous among architecture lovers as a place perfectly adapted to a harsh environment.Ghadames is 680 km southwest of Tripoli. There are at least two buses a day from Tripoli, passing via Nalut. Ghadames is very much the legendary oasis town, even though the population has moved out of the labyrinthine old town into new modern housing areas. Exploring the twon and oasis is a pleasant day, and with four wheel drive could do a day trip out to the dunes.

Located close the point where the international frontiers of Libya, Algeria and Tunisia join, modern Ghadames has an estimated population of around 10000. The residential area is divided into the old and new towns. The old town is situated within the oasis whereas the new town has been built on the dry slopes above the oasis. The old town has been uninhabited since 1986. The old town has not been simply abandoned and still plays an important role in the life of the inhabitants. In hottest days of the summer, the inhabitants of the new city return to their original quarters in search of shade and cool.

Tourism is gaining importance and Ghadames now has a three day tourist festival held annually in October to coincide with the date harvest. There are displays of local traditions and horsemanship.

Leptis Magna is among the most complete magnificent of the 3 towns (tripolis) of North Africa. It began as a Phoenician port of call on the trading route across the region, though it was ultimately administered in the 6th century BC, it is thought, from Carthage. The city grew up at the mouth of the Wadi Lebda where a small port was developed over the years, exporting important volumes of grain and olives. It joined Rome in 111 BC and enjoyed full rights as colonia to Roman citizenship under the Emperor Trajan (98-117 AD).

The early Roman period saw the construction of basic harbour works and a forum close by the original Punic settlement. The city flourished under the rule of and patronage of Septimus Severus (193-211 AD) who was born in Leptis Magna. Most of the major buildings at Leptis date from his time. The city spread along the coast and inland. All the important buildings can be reached adjacent to or just off the main paved monumental road from the present entrance through the new parts of the site.

A full inspection of the wealth of monuments requires at least a full day and rather longer for visitors with a specialist interest since Leptis Magna is well preserved and has an unequalled range of buildings from the classical period. In summer the site is very hot and justice can be done only by a series of visits when the heat is less oppressive.

Sabrata

The city of Sabrata is located on the Mediterranean coast, one-hour drive west of Tripoli. It was founded by the Canaanites in the 6th century BC. A Phoenician trading-post that served as an outlet for the products of the African hinterland, Sabrata was part of the short-lived Numidian kingdom of Massinissa before being Romanized and rebuilt in the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D.

Like Leptis Magna, Sabrata began as a settlement to service the coastal trade of the Carthaginians. It was developed as a permanent site in the 4th century BC to act as a terminal for the trans-Saharan trade since it had a natural harbor on an otherwise long and unindented coastline. The site was later to become of the 3 cities with Leptis and Oea (Tripoli).

Sabrata prospered in the third century AD as a trading place for the Ivory coming from central Africa, through Ghadames and Fezzan. The Vandals who invaded North Africa from Europe abandoned it after its destruction. In 533 AD the Byzantines occupied the city and rebuilt most of it noticeably, the church of Justinian with its fine decorated mosaic floors.

Amongst the walls and foundations of public buildings discovered in the city, are the market, tribunal and some temples. Among the most prominent features of the city during Roman times are the public arenas, the Temples of Liber Pater, Sirapis, Isis, and Hercules, the forum, the theatre, the tribunal arena, and the public paths. Ruins of the earliest Phoenician settlements have been found beneath the Roman town in the area between the forum and the Sea.

The main monument is the Amphitheatre, used in modern times as a theatre and concert hall. There is a variety of public baths, temples and fountains, with many first class mosaics both on site and in the adjacent Museum, Some Byzantine remains are on show to exemplify the revival after the Vandal invasions.

In ancient times Cyrene was considered one of the largest cities in the Mediterranean area, second only to Athens. It is the largest archeological settlement of the Pentapolis cities of the Green Mountain area. The city of Shahat lies on the ruins of Cyrene, 10 Km east of Al Baida.
Cyrene was founded in 631 B.C., by some Greek adventurers coming from the island of Thera, known today as Santhorini. It was occupied in later times by the Romans, Byzantines. After the advent of Islam in 642 - 643 A.D., the new faith (Islam) has dominated the region ever since.

The cultural influence and historical events that have shaped Cyrene's history can still be traced in the ruins of the temples of Zeus and Apollo, the theatre, the vast area of the Agora, the Acropolis, the wall built to its north during the 4th century B.C. and then rebuilt by the Romans in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. and in some churches built during the Byzantine control of the city (533 A.D.).

The city of Cyrene reached its peak during the Emperor Augustus's rule, it was both center and guiding force of the whole region. In the 2nd century A.D., a series of violent rebellions started the city on its way to a slow and inexorable decline. A severe earthquake hit Cyrene in the 3rd century A.D. reducing it to ruins.

The city of Sousa was known as Apollonia during the Greco-Roman era. It is located on the Mediterranean coast, 20 KM North of Shahat (Cyrene), and is connected to the latter by a road excavated in the rocky ground of the area, and improved during Roman times. Apollonia served as a port for the city of Cyrene, when the once well-known silphium plant was exported. By the end of the 6th century A.D., its importance exceeded that of Cyrene and Ptolemais..

Visitors to this area will certainly enjoy the fine weather and the Mediterranean beach, as well as the Greek, Roman and Byzantine ruins. The Greek theatre, the Roman baths and the Byzantine Palace (which served as a government building in the 6th century A.D.) are few examples.