LIBYA. Two
itineraries: 6 days Architectural Trip, 10 days Exploring the Desert
Most of us were surprised to hear a few years back the cry 'Libya has
re-opened for business!' For lovers of travel, ancient and more recent
art, this news was indeed great news. However, still now, only a small number
of reliable travel companies offer tours to Libya.
Equinox Travel's two itineraries offer on the one
hand a good deal of sightseeing, including the famous sites of Lepcis
Magna, Sabratha, Oea, and on the other hand desert travel and
exploration to remote areas of the ancient land of the Garamantes (Roman
name for the inhabitants of this desert region).
Libya's topography is as low-lying and almost entirely sandy nowadays
as it was at the height of the Roman Empire. It consisted in the same
stretch of North-African coast between the Gulf of Sidra (ancient Syrtis
Major) and the Gulf of Gabes (ancient Syrtis Minor), where only three
cities flourished, each at the end of a long trading (caravan) route:
Lepcis Magna, Tripoli (ancient Oea) and Sabratha.
In Tripoli, the nation's capital, the tours offer visits to a number
of museums, but there are many good museums and archives to be visited
on one's free time as well. The museums include the Government Library,
the Ethnographic Museum, the Archaeological Museum, the National
Archives, the Epigraphy Museum and the Islamic Museum. The Jamahiriya
Museum, built in consultation with UNESCO, may be the country's most
famous. It houses one of the finest collections of classical art in the
Mediterranean.
Lepcis Magna or Leptis Magna, near the modern-day city of Al Khums, is
one of the best preserved ancient cities in the world. The city began as
a Phoenician trading post around 1000 BC and later became part of the
Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. Septimius Severus, who later
become Roman emperor (193-211 A.D.), was born in Lepcis Magna and made
it into one the most beautiful cities of the Roman Empire. |
Click on the Map above for an
enlarged view
Download both itineraries
| Travel
information |
Official Name: Jamahirya. Name
'Libya' comes from the Egyptian 'Libu', and Greek 'Lybia', but
actually given to the country in 1934 by the Italians.
Capital: Tripoli
Best Time to Travel: Libya is a desert country. Travel during
the period of October to May, when daytime temperatures are not too
high. Avoid June to September (temperatures rise to 38C (100F) & the
Ghibli sandstorms from the south).
Inoculations are recommended for Tetanus, Hepatitis A, Polio,
Typhoid. None of the above are obligatory for entry in Iran.
The Currency is the Lybian Dinar LD.
Bottled mineral water is available throughout the country and you
are advised to drink this.
Population is approximately 5.6 million people. Mainly urban
(87%)
Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%
Language: Arabic |
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