Vanishing amid the ruins
By David Josland, solicitor, Companies Office

Libya is the hot tourist destination at the moment – ancient ruins, desert landscapes, battlefields from the Second World War. In 2009, the country and its people celebrated their fortieth anniversary under the leadership of Muammar al-Gaddafi. The country is buzzing. From the multitude of banners and posters portraying the leader in a variety of dress and acknowledging the USA – the United States of Africa – to the multinational companies that are now conducting business in the country, Libya is booming after years of economic and political isolation. 

So what can a visitor to this country see? For a start, there is no free travel in Libya, so you must arrange your visit and itinerary with a local tour company well in advance of your arrival. They set you up with places to stay, a guide, and transportation. On the whole, the accommodation was clean and comfortable. The majority of hotels, called funduqs, are huge, government-operated affairs with sturdy utilitarian fittings and furniture.

We entered Libya by foot across its eastern border with Egypt. It took about an hour and a half, entering through no man’s land between the countries, locked in by barriers and perimeter fences. We went inside several cavernous buildings and had our papers processed by blue-uniformed officials. It was a relief to be picked up by our local guide, a football-mad, ex-Libyan Navy engineer. He drove us at breakneck speed across the country in his Toyota Hilux, often travelling at 160 kph and overtaking into oncoming traffic while flicking his lights on and off. Libyan driving habits can be summed up by the number of wrecked vehicles with unsurvivable full-frontal damage dumped outside the towns. This is despite the billboards on the roadsides advising of the dangers of speed on the roads. 

The Italian occupation of Libya before the Second World War had serious consequences for the country. Many Libyans died in concentration camps while thousands of Italians arrived to farm the arid coastal lands. Today, one of the legacies of the occupation is that Libyan cities and towns are blessed with beautiful Italian architecture. Tripoli, with its gleaming white colonnaded buildings, is known as the White City. Cafes and restaurants abound. Italian farmhouses, built in the Fascist style of the 1930s, dot the countryside. Most have been abandoned by Libyan families in favour of the free modern houses provided by the State.

Libya saw conflict during the Second World War when the Allied forces under Field Marshal Montgomery chased Rommel, the Desert Fox, and his Afrika Korps, backwards and forwards across the rocky and sandy terrain. Near the border with Egypt is the city of Tobruk, which was the scene of heavy fighting. A comprehensive system of bunkers and tunnels surround the city and most of the fortifications can be visited. Four hundred and two New Zealanders were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner at the battle of Point 175 and Sidi Rezegh in 1941, which sits on a plateau about an hour’s drive from Tobruk. Today, the only remnants of the battle are the sangars, indentations in the ground surrounded by mounds of earth, and coils of rusting barbed wire. It was an eerie experience walking across the battlefield, for although the landmines have been cleared, one still feared that the next step could be one’s last. Visiting the site was worth the effort, as it is one of our nation’s most famous battles. 

Many of the New Zealand casualties from Sidi Rezegh are buried in the Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, and the Tobruk War Cemetery. These Commonwealth War Cemeteries are immaculately maintained by Libyans under the auspices of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Other New Zealand war dead are buried in cemeteries in Benghazi and Tripoli. For those interested in military history and the human cost of war, a visit to the cemeteries is a sombre experience.

One of the primary reasons for visiting Libya is to see the unprecedented array of Greek and Roman ruins that the country has to offer. These are truly world class. The main sites are Cyrene in Cyrenaica in Eastern Libya and Leptis Magna and Sabratha in Tripolitania near Tripoli in Western Libya. As well as this, Libya’s museums at the historic sites and in Tripoli itself are well laid out and maintained and contain breathtaking artefacts from the ancient world.

Cyrene, founded in 631 BC, is Libya’s most complete ancient Greek city and sprawls over a tiered site overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The main reason for its settlement was access to rich agricultural land – indeed crops were exported to Greece on a regular basis, saving the inhabitants from famine. Cyrenaica was eventually given to the Romans in 96 BC and Cyrene became an important Roman capital before its eventual decline in the middle of the third century AD. The upper level of the site has the remains of a large gymnasium, a marketplace, and temples. On the lower level is the Sanctuary of Apollo, which offers a rich collection of baths, temples, a theatre, and other public buildings. Nearby is the huge Temple of Zeus, built in the fifth century BC, which is larger than the Parthenon in Athens. Close to Cyrene are the remnants of its port city, Apollonia. This site has a wealth of Byzantine, Greek, and Roman buildings. Fine green and white-striped marble pillars stand upright against the backdrop of the blue Mediterranean. The hotel at Susa overlooks the ruins of Apollonia. There are spectacular views of the site to be had at sunset from the hotel’s balconies.

The Roman Emperor Septimius Severus was born at Leptis Magna. As well as an impressive amount of Roman public buildings, the city has the colossal, reconstructed Arch of Septimius at its entrance. Highlights at Leptis Magna include the Hadrianic baths with their open-air swimming pool and cold and hot rooms, the large Severan Basilica and Forum with their exquisitely carved facades and pillars, and one of the oldest stone theatres in the world. Just beyond the main site are the 16,000-seat amphitheatre and the equally impressive 25,000-seat hippodrome.

West of Tripoli is Sabratha, which was built on the remnants of a Punic settlement. Like the other sites, Sabratha has the remains of basilicas, baths, forums, residential quarters, and temples. It is famous for its restored theatre which could at one time seat 5,000 people. The auditorium, measuring 95 metres, makes it the largest theatre in Africa. The stage is 43 metres long and is backed by spectacular alcoves and 190 columns.

Another reason to visit Libya is to see the magnificent mosaics that went hand in hand with Greek and Roman settlement. Fantastic examples can be seen in the various museums and archaeological sites throughout the country. Villa Sileen, the home of a wealthy Roman merchant on the Mediterranean coast near Leptis Magna, contains an array of stunning mosaics depicting animals and humans, the four seasons, and pastoral scenes.

Libya exceeded my expectations on many levels. The people are relaxed and seem to be enjoying economic prosperity. As you walk through the streets and markets of Tripoli there is an air of optimism. When we ate in cafes and restaurants, went shopping, or ventured out at night, we felt safe. At no time were we approached by strangers trying to sell us things or asking for baksheesh, which can occur with monotonous regularity throughout Africa and the Middle East. The immense size of the archaeological sites meant that small tour parties simply vanished amidst the ruins, and we were often left to enjoy the sites on our own in undisturbed peace. In many respects, Libya is an open-air museum waiting to be discovered.