Alphabetical Listing of Major Cities and
Sites in Libya
Acacus
-
Apollonia
-
Benghazi
-
Cyrene
-
Germa
-
Ghadames
-
Ghat -
Leptis Magna
-
Nalut
-
Ptolemais
-
Qasr Libya
-
Sabratha
-
Slontah
-
Teuchira
-
Tobruk
-
Tripoli -
Ubari
-
Zliten
The Acacus
Location: South-western corner of the Libyan Sahara
It
is here that the Sahara desert offers up its most glorious gift.
An officially designated natural museum, the Acacus region
offers spectacular desert and mountain scenery. Rock paintings
that extend back 10,000 years depict the development of human
societies and the animal life that was once abundant in the
Sahara, such as giraffe and elephant. Travel is by 4WD vehicles
(camel treks are also available) and nights are spent camping
under the stars. A visit to the Acacus is a
never-to-be-forgotten experience. Tours to the region do not
take place between the end of May and August due to the intense
daytime heat.
To
get to the Acacus, one can either take the tarmac road as far as
Ghat, entrance to the region, or experience even more desert
travel on a 3-day drive through the Sahara from Ghadames to Ghat
alongside the Algerian border.
Apollonia
Location: near to Al-Bayda, 115 miles north-east of Benghazi, 12
miles north of Cyrene
Established in the 7th century BC, Apollonia was the port of
Cyrene, and remained so for more than a millennium. Its
importance was such that it remained autonomous of Cyrene during
the Roman period, and even surpassed it as the major city of the
region in the 6th century AD.
The
Theatre is sited in a particularly picturesque location by the
sea. Other buildings include the Eastern, Central and Western
Basilicas and the Byzantine Palace.
Benghazi
Location: 600 miles east of Tripoli
Libya's second city Benghazi is famed in military history as a
supply base during World War II. It was also the headquarters of
the Italian forces during their occupation of Libya from 1911
onwards, and this is reflected in much of the Italian style
architecture. In the city centre is the monument to Omar
al-Mukhtar, the great Libyan resistance leader who fought
against the Italian occupation. There is also an extensive and
interesting market, Souq al-Jareed.
Cyrene
Location: near to Al-Bayda, 115 miles app. north-east of
Benghazi
The
most important Greek city in North Africa, Cyrene was founded in
the 7th century BC by a party of immigrants who had fled the
drought-inflicted island of Thera in the Aegean Sea. Its early
history was a volatile one, characterised by murder and conflict
among the ruling families. Under King Battus IV (515-470 BC), it
enjoyed a period of relative calm and prosperity, although his
successor, Arcesilaus IV, was assassinated. From 322 BC,
Cyrenaica came under the control of the Greek general Ptolemy I
and his dynasty.
In
96 BC the Romans took possession of Cyrenaica, and it became a
province of Rome eighteen years later. Thereafter, it enjoyed a
period of peace until a Jewish revolt in 115 AD caused
widespread destruction.
Following reconstruction of the city, principally under the
Emperor Hadrian, Cyrene again entered a period of prosperity. In
365 AD, during the Byzantine period, an earthquake destroyed
much of the city, which, at the time, had not yet embraced
Christianity. A grand rebuilding programme took place, although
former places of pagan worship were desecrated including the
great temple of Zeus.
Built on a series of levels, the spectacular ruins of Cyrene
include the Sanctuary and Temple of Apollo, the Acropolis, the
Agora, the Forum, the Stoa of Hermes and Heracles, the House of
Jason Magnus, the Nine Muses and the Temple of Zeus.
Germa
Location: 245 miles north-east
of Ghat, 600 miles south of Tripoli
Site of the ruins of the Garamantian cities Garama and
Zinchecra which are still under excavation. The Garamantes
were a warrior nation who originated in the Tibesti region
of the Sahara and here may be seen the remnants of this
two-thousand-year-old civilisation that once ruled the
Fezzan.
Ghadames
Location: 200 miles south-west of Nalut, 400 miles
south-west of Tripoli
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.
Ghat
Location: 450 miles south of Ghadames
A
Tuareg desert town at the entrance to the Acacus, deep in the
Libyan Sahara, Ghat once enjoyed prominence as a trading post
for caravans crossing the desert, and was active a thousand
years ago. The old town is now mainly deserted, the population
having moved into a newer area of Ghat, and is dominated by a
picturesque Italian fort. Ghat may be reached by either a tarmac
road from Sebha or through the desert from Ghadames alongside
the Algerian border.
An
annual festival takes place in Ghat during December, a colourful
ritual of Tuareg song and dance.
Leptis Magna
Location: 75 miles east of Tripoli
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.
Nalut
Location: 230 miles app. south of Djerba (Tunisia), 170 miles app.
south-west of Tripoli.
Nalut,
located on an escarpment reached by a series of hairpin bends, is
the site of a fascinating grain store, some 300 years old, and
offers a beautiful panorama of the plain below. The grain store,
comprising hundreds of chambers, was used by families to store oil
and grain under the watchful eye of a guardian.
Ptolemais (Tolmeita)
Location: 65
miles north-east of Benghazi
Named
after Ptolemy III, in whose reign it was founded during the 3rd
century BC, Ptolemais was originally a Hellenistic mercantile city.
Its importance increased following the acquisition of Cyrenaica by
the Romans in 96 AD, and enjoyed the prosperity that characterised
Rome of the period, with extensive public works programmes.
Excavations indicate that the population of Ptolemais enjoyed wealth
and a high standard of living. During the 3rd century AD, following
a decline in the importance of Cyrene, it became the capital city of
the region. Like Cyrene, it suffered the earthquake of 365 AD which
was followed by a programme of reconstruction. However, in the sixth
century AD, Ptolemais suffered a reversal when Apollonia became the
capital of Upper Libya and entered a period of near destitution,
aggravated by a water supply system that had fallen into disrepair,
causing the population to move away. Despite aid from the Emperor
Justinian which returned the city to a relative state of well-being
for a while, its death knell was sounded by the Arab conquest of
Cyrenaica in the 7th century AD.
Buildings of interest in Ptolemais include the small but excellent
Museum, the Western Basilica, the Columned Palace, the Theatre and
the underground Cisterns.
Qasr Libya
Location: 30
miles west of Al-Bayda, 115 miles north-east of Benghazi
Site of
a Byzantine fort and church dating back to the reign of the Emperor
Justinian (6th century AD). A floor of stunning mosaic panels was
discovered in 1957, the majority of which are now housed in the
on-site museum. The collection of mosaics is considered one of the
world's finest and, intriguingly, depicts pagan subjects as well as
human and animal figures. One panel depicts the Pharos Lighthouse,
one of the seven wonders of the world.
Sabrata
Location: 40 miles
west of Tripoli, 140 miles south-east of Djerba (Tunisia)
Settled in the late 5th/early 6th century BC by the Phoenicians,
Sabrata's development as a Roman city began in the latter half
of the 1st century AD. It reached its zenith in the 1st and 2nd
centuries AD, particularly during the reign of Septimus Severus,
who was born in nearby Leptis Magna. Much of the city was
destroyed by earthquakes during the 4th century, particularly
that which took place in 365 AD. A rebuilding programme followed
but the city was now to occupy a much smaller area. The Vandals
ruled in the 5th century but they were expelled under the
Emperor Justinian and further building projects took place in
the Byzantine era. Sabrata was to survive for a hundred years
following the Arab invasion of the mid 7th century AD.
The most spectacular site in Sabrata is the Theatre,
probably built during the reign of the Emperor Commodus
(161-192 AD), with its three-storey backdrop of columns.
Other monuments and areas of interest include the Temple
of Liber Pater, the Basilica of Justinian, the Mosaics
of the House of Jason Magnus, the Capitolium, the Temple
of Serapis, the Temple of Hercules and the Temple of
Isis.
Slontah
Location:
30 miles south-west of Al-Bayda
Site of a mysterious pre-Islamic funerary temple with strange
animal and human-like carvings. The beliefs of the cult that
worshipped here are not known.
Teuchira (Tocra)
Location: 45
miles north-east of Benghazi
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.
Tripoli
Location: 180
miles app. east of Djerba (Tunisia), 130 miles app. west of Misrata
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.
Tobruk
Location: 250
miles east of Benghazi
Forever
linked with the name of the great German commander, Marshall Rommel,
who laid siege to and captured the city during World War II. Here
you may visit his underground headquarters, also used by Montgomery
during British control of the city. There are cannons and tanks on
display while, close by, are the remains of the WW2 American plane
Lady Be Good which crash landed in the desert - the crew perished in
the Sahara after walking immense distances and their bodies were not
discovered until the early 1950s. Here you may also visit the World
War II cemeteries including the Allied Cemetery, the French
Cemetery, Knightsbridge Cemetery and the German Cemetery. Near to
the town, still rooted, is the famous fig tree which was used as a
shelling locator during the war.
Ubari Sand Sea
Location:
Western Libyan Desert
A vast
area of stunning sand dunes which offer a thrilling 4WD desert
experience. Located within the Daouada area of the Sand Sea are a
number of salt lakes, the most famous being Lake Gabraoun which is
dominated by an immense sand dune and flanked on one side by palm
trees. It's an ideal spot for a swim after the rigours and
excitement of 4x4 desert travel.
Zliten
Location: 100
miles east of Tripoli, 18 miles east of Leptis Magna
A small
town, site of the Sidi Abd al-Salaam Mosque which houses the tomb of
the 15th century sage. Though modern, the mosque is quite beautiful.
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