Libya Travel Tips

The Tripoli:
Tripoli, the site of Phoenician Oea founded circa 500 BC, is the capital of Libya. Although no vestiges of the Phoenecian settlement remain, there are traces of Roman times including the Arch of Marcus Aurelius (163 AD) constructed entirely of marble. Other sites of interest include the wonderful National Museum, located within Tripoli Castle, and the old medina, within which is a crossway notable for Roman pillars embedded in each corner building. The medina contains interesting souks and mosques, of which the interior of Karamanli Mosque is particularly beautiful.

The Ghadames:
Described as the Pearl of the Desert, Ghadames is an attractive oasis town on the edge of the Sahara near the border with Algeria. It was once the southern outpost of the Roman Empire although there is now little evidence other than tombs. The old town of Ghadames is very picturesque, notable for its "cake and icing" architecture and its labyrinthine streets. Interesting sites include the cultural Museum, the Traditional House richly decorated in local style, the Great Mosque, and the Main Square once used as a slave market. Outside of town is to be found Ain al-Dibana Lake (which, although inviting on a hot day, is not recommended for a swim as it is a salt lake and there are no showers available!). There is also a grand sand dune area for those who will not be venturing into the desert proper and who would like a taste of the Sahara. Ghadames is also the starting point for the overland desert route to Ghat travelling alongside the Algerian border.

The Teuchira:
Probably founded in the 7th century BC (its origins are cloudy), Teuchira was a port city of the Greeks. During the Ptolemaic period, its importance was reflected in its status as one of the five cities of the Pentapolis, together with Cyrene, Apollonia, Ptolemais and Berenice (modern Benghazi). As with other cities of the region, it succumbed to the Arab invasion of 643 AD and was the final site of defence of the governor of Cyrenaica.
There is little to see at Teuchira compared to Ptolemais, Cyrene and Apollonia, but it is located on a pleasant coastal site. There is an interesting fortress which affords a good view of a nearby shipwreck. Entrance to the site is through the entrance of an old Turkish fort.

The Zliten:
Zliten, one of Libya’s “ saints towns “ because it was the home of Sidi Abdusalam al Asmar one of the most known and respected saints of the whole of Libya. Born in 1455, he lived the life of a hermit, living in the desert performing miracles: he was able to feed masses of poor people with a few grains of barley and flour and give them to drink by making water gush from the rocks. He finally became a warrior with arms to defend his town Zliten. He died at the great age of 120 years and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage, the mosque erected in his remberence ( in Moresque style ) is the resting place of his tomb. Next to the mosque is one of the most famous Koranic schools in Libya. A small archeological museum holds various frescos from the villa of Dar - Buc -Ammera ( some of these are also held in the national museum in Tripoli ), and Roman ceramics belonging to tombs found on the outskirts of Zliten.

The Leptis Magna:
World famous as arguably the best preserved and most extensive Roman city in the world. Originally a Phoenician settlement probably founded in the 6th century BC under the aegis of Carthage, Leptis Magna became a great metropolis under the Romans, particularly during the reign of Septimus Severus (193-211 AD), who was born in the city. Following the end of the Severan dynasty, with the assassination of Alexander Severus in the year 235 AD, the city fell into decline although a period of rejuvenation occurred under Diocletian (284-305 AD) and Constantine (306-337 AD). When the Vandals conquered Tripolitania in the mid-5th century AD, it fell upon the Emperor Justinian to reclaim the land for Byzantium, which he achieved. In the 7th century, Tripolitania was conquered by the Arabs, and Leptis Magna never revisited its former glory. Among the many sites of interest at Leptis Magna are the Severan Arch, the Palaestra or Sports Ground, the Nymphaeum, the Hadrianic Baths, the Colonnaded Street, the Severan Forum, the Severan Basilica, the Theatre, the Harbour, the Circus, the Temple of Liber Pater, the Temple of Rome and Augustus, the Arch of Trajan, the Arch of Tiberius and the Market.