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Footprints in the desert.
Another part of the ancient oasis, Ghadames.
Tripoli - one of the largest mosques, converted from a cathedral.
Inside an Orthodox church, Tripoli, where there is an icon of St George and the Dragon. There is a carving of the same subject on the red castle at Green Square. We also visited a Roman Catholic Franciscan church.
Star of David on the front of a house in Tripoli's old town - we were told that this house previously belonged to a Jewish family. After the 1967 war between Israel and neighbouring countries, many Jews were forced to leave cities along the southern Mediterranean where they had lived for hundreds of years. We were told that none remained in Libya. However, we were shown a small synagogue (not in Tripoli) which was protected by local people who remembered their Jewish neighbours and considered it part of their local heritage.
Sports shop in Tripoli's old town - my son (then 13) was invited to play football wherever we went. In Tripoli he played at a football club near the centre of town.
Another view of Leptis Magna's theatre, looking north over the Mediterranean. Libya is not so far from Italy and the relationship goes back a long way.
It’s a good a time as any to post a few pictures from our west-east trip a few winters ago.
Al-Saraya Al-Hamra, Tripoli - the castle on the corner of Martyrs/Green Square from where Col Gaddafi made a speech yesterday. There are pictures of the leader on large signs and built into the landscape across the country.
The hotel where we stayed in Tripoli. Libya is not a poor country and there were plenty of shops, restaurants, internet cafés and bookshops in Tripoli. English was widely spoken.
A street in the old town, Tripoli.
All shutters and shop doors were painted green, the colour of the Libyan flag since Col Gaddafi's rise to power
Near the castle, a carriage and photo-spot for newly-married couples in Martyrs Square / Green Square, Tripoli.
Staff from a restaurant near the fresh fish market, Tripoli.
Roman theatre, with the Mediterranean beyond. Leptis Magna isn't far from Tripoli.
Many miles south from Tripoli, where the desert turns into dunes.
Seeded bread, baked the desert way, in hot sand (heated by charcoal) - delicious.
The ancient oasis and camel caravan trading stop of Ghadames in the Sahara. Gold, precious stones, dates, silver and ostrich plumes travelled north; pearls, linen & paper travelled south. Since the 1970s, people have moved out to modern homes, leaving behind an intricate communal life which ensured everyone had enough water and other essentials. Every part of the date-palm was used. This interdependent, co-operative way of life sustained Ghadames for centuries.
Wild flowers
