Libya

For anyone remotely interested in Roman archaeology, this is a must. Add to this the even older Berber culture and an extremely friendly, helpful and hospitable people, and it becomes the perfect destination. Libya is excellent off-season as the temperature in the winter is 22ºC! Not a holiday for a 'lounge around in luxury' person but for the more adventurous, absolutely amazing.

Ghadames
Ghadames is a Berber town, 683 km southwest of Tripoli, the inhabitants being members of the ancient Tuareg Tribe. The drive down is rather monotonous as it crosses the Sahara desert ~ remember to take a good book not only to avoid boredom but also to take your mind off the speed at which you are being driven! There is an airport (ex-military) but at the moment it only caters for charter flights. En route, you will make a couple of stops to visit the medieval grain store of Qasr al-Haj and the hilltop store/citadel at Nalut. On the return journey, include a visit to Gharyan with fascinating troglodyte homes made by digging caves (rooms) vertically out of the rock.

The Ghadames old town, which dates back at least 1,000 years, is now unoccupied, the locals having abandoned their homes in 1986 for the ‘new town’. The main reason for the move was lack of sanitation. All houses are made out of mud, lime, and palm tree trunks and are constructed so that all intersect, with covered alleyways between them and open air roof terraces above them, allowing passage from one house to another. These terraces were the domain of the women only. Each family has its own section with a mosque and meeting areas for the elderly and the young, respectively, and there is a sign showing when you are leaving one family’s domain and entering the next.

Ghadames is recognized for its beautiful and inventive architecture, designed to fight the dramatic extremes in Saharan climate. The locals still come to the old town in the summer to avoid the heat and modern air-conditioning is still nowhere near as efficient as the temperature control in these houses. There is a water supply to the old town which runs through ducts under and through the buildings which also helps maintain the coolness. The used water is then piped out to the surrounding fields and enclosed gardens for the fruit trees, such as dates, pomegranates, figs etc. The source of the water is an underground spring which is still supplying fresh, clean water.

Leptis Magna
This World Heritage Site is one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians in the 5th century BC and reached its zenith under the Romans in the 3rd century AD. It was sacked by the Berbers in 523 AD, leaving it abandoned for centuries, to be reclaimed by the desert sand which has helped to preserved it. There has been a certain amount of excavating (mainly by the Italians in the 1920s when they occupied Libya) and since 1994 a team from the Society of Libyan Studies (a British Institute) have been working here but there is still a huge amount to be excavated. As you walk around the paved market place, theatre, the many forums, pink marble baths and the vast amphitheatre you can imagine what this must have been like when it was a bustling city of possibly 65,000 people.

For more information on Leptis Magna, go to the Leptis Magna website.

Sabratha
Another of UNESCO’s projects, this was my favourite mainly because of the mosaics, the largest of which ~ from the Justinian Basilica ~ measured 30m x 30m. Most of the best mosaics are in the museum so it is best to start there. The highlights of Sabratha include the 2nd century colonnaded theatre, the Temple of Liber Pater, Forum, Imperial Basilica, Temple of Seraph, Basilica of Justinian and Temple of Hercules. The re-built amphitheatre once again hosts entertainment, although fortunately enough, no longer throwing Christians to the lions or engaging in mortal hand-to-hand combat!

A few miles from Sabratha is the Villa Silin which was ‘discovered’ in 1974, having been used as accommodation for the animals! It was obviously the villa of a rich man who, it is believed, trained gladiators, as there are several excellent mosaics of this ‘sport’. It is an amazing find because most of the floors and baths are complete many with mosaics. The most amazing feature is that wall paintings have also survived including what was obviously a child’s room with drawings of young children in Roman dress.

In summary, it goes without saying that the archaeology is amazing. You can also expect excellent weather most of the year, although you may prefer to avoid July-September, when the temperature is in the 40ºC’s. Spring is a good time to go as although you may experience a little rain, you should get the chance to see some flora. The roads are good, although I would certainly not recommend self-drive, firstly because driving in Tripoli is like taking part in the Monte Carlo Rally and secondly, all signs are in Arabic.

You may also prefer to avoid Ramadan as finding food during the daytime can be difficult, as everything closes until after sunset. The cuisine consists of tajines (both fish and meat, particularly lamb), chicken dishes, cous-cous, lovely fresh salads, and lots of very sweet desserts. One evening we were taken by our guide to a fish market, where we bought some wonderfully fresh fish, then took it to a restaurant across the road where they cooked it for us. You should also be aware that alcohol is banned, however it is possible to find the occasional alcohol-free beer.