Some Camels for You

In keeping with the spirit of the Camel Diaries, here are some that we have come across in our travels recently:

And a lizard....

The Desert Rat and I are heading off for some more adventures this week - we are off to the west coast of Scotland and the Outer Hebrides Islands, Malta and Sicily and won't be back in Libya until mid-May.

Until then

Sahara Gal

The Greeks in Libya

Northern Cyrenaica is the name given to the area which incorporates the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountains) and the coast east of Benghazi. Our first impression was ‘Wow, it really is green!’ – quite different to the desert environs around Tripoli. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years by many different groups of people. As a result, there are many ruins in the area which are now in varying states of preservation and restoration. Of particular interest here, are the Greek sites – Tolmeita (Ptolemais), Tocra, Cyrene and Appollonia. These were cities founded by the Ancient Greeks who lived in Libya between 631-75BC. After the Greeks, the Romans lived there too and made modifications as they saw fit. The cities have been beautifully preserved and in some cases restored a little. It is quite amazing to walk along roads that were walked on over 2000 years ago or to see statues and mosaics that adorned the houses and public areas. These are just some piccies to give you an idea….

Ptolemais

Theatre

Surface View of the Water Cisterns

Walking through the Cisterns

An Ancient Greek Shopping Mall!!

Roman Mosaics
Nice toosh!

Cyrene

Entrance to the Gymnasium

A Small Theatre
Latin and Greek Writing in the Forum
Greek Baths built into a cliff face
Large Theatre

Temple of Apollo

Lion Statue in the Temple of Apollo
The Necropolis - City of the Dead

Temple of Zeus

Cattle running across Roman Mosaic (there are no fences protecting the sites)

Appollonia - the port city that serviced Cyrene

Detail on Column

Columns, columns, columns - you can never get enough!!!

Mosaic

Theatre

Arches in a Palace built by the Byzantines (Christian Romans who came a few hundred years later)

Honouring the Rats of Tobruk

Just like most Australians I had heard of the Rats of Tobruk but like many, I really didn’t know much about what they had actually achieved. Thus, when we moved here, we brought with us the book called ‘Tobruk’ by Peter Fitzsimons with the view that we would read it before going there. I am really glad we did as the book set the scene so we could understand what we were seeing. In a nutshell, Tobruk was really important during WW2 as it has a deep harbour that could be used to supply the forces defending / moving towards Egypt and the Suez Canal – both sides needed it desperately. In 1941 the Allies held Tobruk and were held under siege as the Rommel and the German Army tried to take it. Against the odds, the Allies held onto Tobruk with the Australian Diggers playing a significant and heroic role. Jack Edmondson, the first Australian to receive the Victoria Cross earned his medal at Tobruk and we were honoured to visit his grave and pay our respects.

The area around Tobruk is harsh and unforgiving – it is desert, rocky and flat with practically no vegetation. The day we visited we experienced the heat, wind and sand, giving us a little insight into what it must have been like for the soldiers. I can only imagine what a hell it must have been for both sides fighting there. The town of Tobruk itself is pretty run down and dirty these days, but we have heard stories about how beautiful it once was. Outside the town lies four war cemeteries (French, German and two for Commonwealth countries), all of which we visited. We also saw the site of the Fig Tree Hospital – an underground cavern in which soldiers were treated. Overall, it was an incredibly moving experience, something I will not forget in a hurry.

Overlooking the Harbour

The Desert Landscape - harsh and unforgiving

Trenches - the more permanent ones were originally built by Italian Forces as can be seen by the inscriptions. Bunkers were built off the side of them for the soldiers to stay in. Bunker

The Fig Tree Hospital

The German War Memorial...Exterior

Interior...

An unknown soldiers grave - French Cemetry


So many dead - Knightsbridge Commonwealth Cemetry
Jack Edmondson VC - An Australian War Hero

Lost in Time...

After my trip to the States flew back into Libya with two of our very dear friends to begin a ten day Libyan Extravaganza.

Our first excursion was a three day road trip to Ghadames. This is quite a long drive so we stopped off at some sights on the way. Qasr al-Haj was the first place. The Berber structure was built in the 12th Century as a place to store grain harvested in the local area (Thanks Lonely Planet!). I had seen photos of it before, but was still taken back at the beauty of the building.

The exterior of Qasr-al-Haj

Inside...

Nalut which is located on the western end of the Jebel Nafusa (Nafusa Mountains) and also has a Berber granary.

Looking up to the Berber Granary at Nalut - it is positioned on top of steep hill (good for defence!!)

Ruins of the old town

Inside the Granary

We arrived in Ghadames in the evening. The next morning we had a guided tour through the old town of Ghadames – a UNESCO world heritage site and a must for any visitor to Libya. The town has a long history – it is believed that there have been people living in the area since at least 3000BC. The old city that can be seen today was probably founded around 800 years ago and people only stopped living there in the late 1980’s – the government built a new town alongside with more modern facilities. However, families still own their houses in the old city and go back regularly, especially in summer as it is much cooler. This is because the mud brick city has been built with covered walkways and public meeting spaces so that people can get around without having to expose themselves tot he harsh sun too much. It was quite warm the day we were there and you could really fwel how cool the city was compare to outside. The city also incorporates small gardens, fields and orchards to supply the citizens with fresh food. There is also a natural spring from which fresh water flows. Words can not really describe how beautiful the old city is and the photos only give a small view of what it is like.

Heading in...

A rooftop view

The all important date palms

Covered walkways:

A hand imprint in the wall to ward off evil

A man selling his wares
Just beautiful...

A shady courtyard Inside a traditional house - where we had a mighty fine lamb and cous cous lunch

The next day we headed back to Tripoli, via Kabaw which also has a sensational Berber granary.

Our Ghadames trip was just stunning - it is a very special part of Libya and we enjoyed it very much. It is quite humbling to see places that have been around for thousands of years and are still a very important part of the local culture and identity.

Sahara Gal