Libya - An Overview

We lived in Libya from 2006 to 2010. My excuses upfront - I did not have a proper camera (why?), so these images are really just an overview. Living there had many challenges, but we were free to explore this fascinating country (see map). In the West are some of the best Roman ruins on the Mediterranean - Sabratha*, Leptis Magna* and Oea (beneath Tripoli's medieval medina), built on even older Phoenecian sites. In the East are the remains of a Greek (later Roman) pentapolis centred on Cyrene*, at its time second only to Athens in wealth. After the Romans, these cities became part of the Byzantine empire before the arrival of Islam. South of Tripoli, in the Jebel Nafusa and semi-desert regions, are Berber fortified granaries, underground houses, ancient villages and more ruins from Roman times. In the far south, the Fezzan, there is stunning desert scenery, ancient oasis trading towns like Ghadames* and Ghat and rock carvings and paintings of the Tadrart Akakus* dating back 12,000 years before the Sahara took over. In the southern desert, there is even an extinct volcano surrounded by small lakes where Nile crocodiles have survived in complete isolation for 6,000 years! Sadly Libya remains in turmoil since the revolution in 2011; I can only wish for peace and stability for all the people of this amazing country. (* = UNESCO World Heritage Site)