LIBYA © LonelyPlanetPublications can designyourownitinerary. ofone(plusguide)andwithmosttourcompanies you groups canbeassmallaparty to cover somuchmore territory thanyouotherwisecould.Rememberalsothatorganised chance todosoinLibya,remember thatLibyaisavastcountryandontouryou’llbeable tour. Whilethose ofyouaccustomedtotravelling independentlywouldprobablylove the one oftheworld’sfinestopen-airgalleriesprehistoric rockart. sand encirclesmulticoloured andexperienceJebelAcacus, lakes. Godeeperintothedesert volcanoes,suchasWawal-Namus,where Bebewitchedbyextinct black heart. the desert’s showcased therichesofAfrica. surroundedbysanddunesin atpalm-fringedlakes Marvel countries. Visit theenchanting oasistownsofGhadamesandGhat,where thecaravansonce engulfs over 90%ofthecountry,offering upvastsandseasthesize ofsmallEuropean the Mediterranean. cosmopolitan Tripoliresonates withadifferent meets periodofhistory.It’swhere theSahara history comesalive monumentsonitsshores. throughtheextraordinary Every cornerof Magna –eachofwhichisoverlaid by remnants ofByzantinesplendour,it’saplacewhere ranean’s richeststore ofRomanand Greek cities–Sabratha,Cyrene and,above all, Leptis Libya isacrossroadsofhistory,continentsandancientempires. HometotheMediter- Libya 126 One important point to note is that visits to Libya can only be made as part ofanorganised pointtonote isthatvisitsto Libya canonlybemadeaspart One important scenery.The Libya isalsohometoAfrica’s mostexceptionalandaccessibledesert Sahara

FAST FACTS

Visa Time Telephone (rest oftheyear) Seasons Population Money Languages Capital Budget (usually) Nigerclosedtonon-Libyans (Amsaad) open;Algeria,Chad,Sudan and Borders ATMs Area Arranged as part oforganised up onarrival tour; can bepicked Arranged aspart 1.8millionsqkm GMT/UTC +1 One, but likely tobe moreOne, butlikely soon Libyandinar(LD);US$1 =1.3LD Tripoli US$50toUS$100perday Tunisia Adjir)andEgypt (Ras Hot (June toAugust), dry wet(MarchandOctober), Hot (June Arabic,Berber Country code 5.5million % 218; international access code % 00

lonelyplanet.com ITINERARIES candropbelow freezing. nights temperatures reach asweltering 55°C.Desert frommid-Maythe desert untilOctober, when humidity.Don’t thinkofby high goinginto on thecoastaround30°C,often accompanied generally very hotwithaverage temperatures is toSeptember) ruary toApril.Summer(June Libya isatitsbestinNovember andfromFeb- CLIMATE &WHENTOGO HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS

red, green andbluelakes. heart of and theSahara,withblacksand volcanic crater, off thebeaten trackinthe Waw al-Namus cent 12,000-year-old rockart. to theindigenous Tuareg andmagnifi- rangestriking mountain which is home Acacus Jebel chanting caravan post intheSahara. palm-fringed oldcityandthemosten- your imaginationinthelabyrinthine, Ghadames world-class Jamahiriya Museum. andthe Ottoman mosquesandhouses ful, whitewashed medinareplete with Tripoli location. theatres andforumsinastunningseaside cities, withexceptionalbathcomplexes, Roman one of theworld’sbest-preserved Leptis Magna

two days(preferably oneatthebegin- country. Tripoli( p131 atleast ) deserves time required toget areal taste of the Two Weeks n p140. on this chapter. For thisreason, wehave covered options onlyinbriefthroughout sleeping, eatingandtransport fromdomesticairtravel, thatyouwilltravel itishighlyunlikely bypublictransport. and, apart restaurants. whileinLibyawill besimilarlyorganised bythetour operator Allyourtransport youwillhavethe touroperator,although mostlikely little choicewhenitcomestohotels and your visaandisresponsible foryouthroughout yourstay.Discussitineraryin advancewith outofthecountry. antiquities andprehistoric rockart a ruleisthatfreewheeling European tourists were caught red-handed priceless tryingtotake only issuedtothosewithaninvitation fromaLibyantourcompany.The officialreason for such Since late oforganised 2000,visitstoLibyahave toursandvisasare onlybeenpossibleaspart VISITING LIBYA For afull list ofLibyantouroperators, see p141 . Information onobtaining visascanbefound You willatalltimes beaccompaniedbyaguidefromthe Libyan tourcompanywhoorganised ( p131 yourselfinthedelight- ) Lose ( p137 ) Findtheoasistownof Two weeks istheminimum Twoweeks ( p137 the) 4WDthrough ( p134 ) Tread softly through LIBYA ••Highlights ( p138 attheremote) Marvel

Tripoli saves afullday’sjourneybyroad. for theJebel Acacus( p137 ). Flying back to a minimumof twodays.Allowafew days ( Crossing totheUbariLakes p137 ) takes minimum of agoodhalfdayforthelatter. Ghadames ( p137 a atleast ); you’llneed a longdayenroute toNalut( p136 ) or the bestof theJebel ( Nafusa p136 ) on ( p134 ) andSabratha( p134 Magnawith afurtherdayeach forLeptis ). Youcansee ning andanotherattheendof yourtrip), in Cyrenaica visitingtheancientcities of Idehan UbariandJebel Acacus. Aweek could alsospendmore timeexploringthe to itineraryisamust,whileyou the two-week (p137) Ghat and (p138) al-Namus Waw rywhere covered inthischapter. Adding One Month

LONELY INDEX PLANET




MUCH? HOW

Shwarma Souvenir T-shirt Bottle of(nonalcoholic)beer 1L bottledwater 1L petrol 4WD hire perday Internet connectionperhour Colonel Qaddafiwatch Tripoli–Sebha flight Museum admission With a month you could see eve- Withamonthyoucouldsee US$0.10 US$0.80 US$9 US$0.80 US$71 US$2.40 US$30 US$4toUS$32 US$1.20 US$0.80

127 LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA

128 empires war. andsomeone else’s by its geography, lying inthepath of invading Throughout blighted history Libya hasbeen HISTORY Tassil Deb-Deb ALGERIA Messouda In Amenas T UNISA Douz LIBYA Kaf Ajnoun Burj should round off your tripnicely. should roundoff well as ( (p136), as Benghazi Apollonia p135 (p135), ) and Tobruk ( Cyrene p136 )

(1281m) -n-

Djanet IY • Hsoy LIBYA ••History Ajjer Burj el-Khadra Ghadames Tiaret Medenine Al-Aweinat (Serdeles) Ghat Wazin Awiss (Ubari SandSea)

Jebel Acacus Derj Idehan Ubari Guerdane Sinoun Nalut Ben Kabaw

Hamadat al-Hamrah N IGER

Msak Settafet Ras Adjir Bir-Alagh al-Jefara

Jebel Nafusa Msak Geush Mellett Sahel Zuara al-Haj Sabratha Qasr Al-Ghoraifa Bu Kammash Jadu (Murzuq SandSea) Bir Ayyad ὄὄὄ Ubari Idehan Murzuq Djado Methkandoush Aziziyah Surman Tekerkiba Yefren Fassanu Ramlat Assayef TRIPOLI Wadi Germa Ownsrik Idri ash-shatti Wadi Mizda Gharyan Qardah Fjeaj Nisma Ubari Lakes Bargan

Great Man-Made River Al-Garabuli Tumu Murzuq Al-Qaryat

(Under Construction) Tarhuna Al-Qatrun Tajura S AHR Tajarhi Brak Ban Walid ὄὄ ὄὄὄ Ash-Shwareef El-Fuchia Zliten Sebha Ashkada Leptis Magna Al-Khoms Zueila as-Sawda Jebel ὅὅ ὅὅ Samnu Magna ( p134 ). Libya remain at Sabratha ( p134 ) andLeptis Spain. Traces of presence thePhoenician in ports stretching aroundto fromtheLevant links in a chain of safe (Punic) Phoenician (Tripoli) andSabratha formedsomeof the Magna), (Leptis Lebdah Oea From 700BC, CivilisationsofAntiquity Great The Misrata Sokna Tauorga Wadi Abugrin Abu Nijayn Kbir Waw al-Kabir Tmissah Houn M EDITRANS Haruj al-Aswad Waddan Al-Fogaha Sirt ὄ ὄ G ulfoSirt Bardai Sahel as-Sirt Zouar Medinat Sultan Uzu

Siltar

Waw al-Namus Bu Miras Bu

Zellah (538m) Wadi As-Sidrah Ras Lanuf C HAD ὄ ὄ

Tibesti lonelyplanet.com Benghazi

Mountains Qaminis ὅὅ ὅὅ

Ajdabiya

Great Man-Made River Man-Made Great (An-Nahr Sinai) (An-Nahr Brega Tocra Bernina Suluq ὄὄ ὄὄὄ 631 BC Greek thecityof established settlers 631 BC lonelyplanet.com last Greek ruler,Ptolemy Apion, finally be- But with Greek influence on thewane, the Cities), which included Apollonia( p136 ). of splendouras partof thePentapolis (Five years theGreeks had builtfourmore cities Cyrene ( p135 ) inthe eastof Libya. Within 200 (Ptolemais) Al-Marj Qasr Libya Tolmeita Sahabi Ramlat Rabyaneh

Cyrene ὄ ὄ

On theadviceof theOracleof Delphi,in Wadi Hasi Wadi

Zawiyat Masus

S AHR Huseim Awjila

Tazerbo Great Man-Made River

(Under Construction) Apollonia Al-Bayda

Jebel Jalu

Susa

Wadi al- Wadi

Shahat

Al-Makilli

(Under Construction) (Under Great Man-Made River Man-Made Great Akhdar Ras al-Hillal

L'Atrun Hamim Derna LIBYA ••History (Dry Well) Umm Irrizam Bir Hakim Al-Adam G ulfoBmba Al-Kufra Libyan Desert Al-Jagbub 0 0 Tobruk Amsaad Al-Aweinat Al-Burdi Sallum Jebel Uweinat (2000m) E GYPT Siwa 60 miles 100 km Desperately poorLibya becameindepend- Qaddafi’s Libya soldiers were driven from Libya. and byFebruary andItalian thelastGerman January 1943, TripoliwasinBritishhands ing broke outinthearea aroundTobruk. By result of theoccupation. rule, aquarter of Libya’spopulationdiedasa During almostthree decadesof Italian brutal to beliberatingLibyafromOttoman rule. Tripoli claimingsomewhatdisingenuously resumed direct control over much of Libya. reined intheirerstwhile protégésin1835and last 124years. TheOttomanTurks finally power in1711.HisKaramanli dynastywould and cavalry officer AhmedKaramanli seized the Ottomanpasha(governor) grew powerful tosupport bythesultan The soldiers sent oflinguistic Arabisation theregion. cementedthe newsettlers theculturaland displaced fromtheirtraditionallandsand tribespeople were demographics. TheBerber the ArabianPeninsula forever changed Libya’s Hilal–from SalimandBani tribes –theBani the region, whilethemassmigrationof two order andbringingameasure of prosperityto paired Romanirrigation systems, restoring appointed emirs of theAghlabid dynastyre- to thearmiesof Islam.From800,theAbbasid- In AD643,TripoliandCyrenaica hadfallen Islamic Libya AD 193–211). becameRome’s emperor(r timus Severus, thataLibyan,Sep- was Libya’simportance become prosperousRomanprovinces. Such Pax andCyrenaica Tripolitania Romanasaw The in46BC. to formallyannexTripolitania (inTunisia)promptedCarthage JuliusCaesar in 75BC. queathed theregion of Cyrenaica toRome Council, ledby alittle-known but charismatic Command whena Revolutionary surprise fastest-growing economies. economic backwater intooneof theworld’s followed, Libyawas transformedfroman inCyrenaica.at Zelten thedecadethat Over transformed bythe discovery of oilin1959 ent in1951,butthe country’sfortuneswere With the onset of WWII, devastating fight- ofWith theonset WWII,devastating The OttomansoccupiedTripoliin1551. On 3 October 1911, the Italians attacked On 3October1911,theItalians Meanwhile, thefallof at thePuniccapital With the region in turmoil,itcame asno

129 LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA ment has promised far-reachingment haspromised economic for lucrative oilcontracts.TheLibyangovern- and Western businesspeopleare clamouring the USwillsoonreopen itsembassy inTripoli, so-called roguestates across theregion. West’s bestfriend,heldupasanexample to ternational isolation.Suddenly, Libyawasthe weapons programmes,finallyended itsin- it wouldabandonitschemical andnuclear its announcementon19December 2003that tion tovictimsof theLockerbie disasterand a nightmare. Libya’spaymentof compensa- Libya todayislike acountryawakening from Libya Today immediately lifted. lost revenues andproductioncapacities,were which hadcostLibyaover US$30billionin Scottish judges inTheHague. Thesanctions, the suspectswere handedover fortrial by nally, inearly1999,adealwasbrokered and Fi- cameintoeffect. Sahara, UNsanctions plosion of aFrench UTA airlinerover the Scottish townof Lockerbie andthe1989ex- 1988 bombingof Pan 103over Amflight the siles intoTripoliandBenghazi. and on15April1986,theUSNavy fired mis- in astringof terrorist acrossEurope attacks LibyaofEurope, theUSaccused involvement politicalopponentsthroughout assassinating lutionary Committees thatbecamefamousfor of participationforallLibyanswiththeRevo- settlers were30,000 Italian deported. papers, churches andpoliticalparties. Some allnews- expanded thearmedforcesandclosed bases, BritishandAmericanmilitary closed wave of anti-imperialistanger, thenewleader 1969.Ridingona in Libyaon1September 27-year-old power Mu’ammarQaddafi,seized 130 Libyans never forgetLibyans never where theycame from, cially atsuch anexciting time intheirhistory. proud of loathetoleave itand even it,espe- Libyans are to theirland, attached alsodeeply fostered during thelongyears of sanctions. and wonderfulimprovisers, characteristics tolerance anddiscreet. Theyare self-sufficient famedfor Colonel Qaddafi isn’t –reserved, In someways,Libyans are that everything CULTURE moribund economy. reforms aspartof itsplanstooverhaul Libya’s As thecolonel balancedhispoliticaltheories World leaders have sinceflocked toLibya, After Libyanagents were charged withthe IY • Clue LIBYA •• Culture family whose family whose Matar, a youngnovelist froman exiledLibyan byHisham Al-Kouni maysoon beeclipsed which have translated bothbeen intoEnglish. cluding of short storiesandanumberof novels, in- Hethe desert. volumes haspublishedeight worksrevealKouni, whose afascination with Libya’s best-knownwriter isIbrahimal- &CRAFTS ARTS tolater teachings)posed andtolerance. preaches theprimacy of theQuran(asop- liki school of Quranicinterpretation, which Sunni Muslimwithmostfollowing theMa- regions.desert Toubou, whobothinhabitLibya’s southern origin. OthergroupsincludetheTuareg and homogenous –97%are of AraborBerber with almosthalfunder15years of age. has anoverwhelmingly youthfulpopulation, when less than25%lived incities.Libyaalso tres, contrasttoLibya’spre-oil instark days, world. Upto90%of peoplelive inurbancen- square kilometre) isoneof thelowestin Libya’s populationdensity(less thanthree per PEOPLE summit of anyindustry. of publiclife andfew womenreaching the ory, withmenstillthepredominant players reality issomewhatdifferent fromthethe- ofto rights equalpayintheworkplace. The with men,frommarriage anddivorcelaws Libyanisproud. every overarching nationalcomponentof which extended family,tribeandvillage, withan are multiplelayers of identity,amongthem support. Grafted ontotheimmediate family ofturned inwardsinsearch companyand of international isolationwhenLibyansociety took onaddedsignificanceduringtheyears that thefuture istheirs. in decades,Libyansare optimistic,convinced untouched byit.Above all,forthefirst time able abouttheworld,theyremain refreshingly years of isolation.Surprisinglyknowledge- forms inLibya isthe celebratory literary worldbystorm in2006. whether itbetheirhomevillage orthedark More than95%of Libya’spopulation is Libya’s demographicmixisremarkably Libyan womennominallyhave equalstatus Life revolves aroundthefamily,abondthat One of the mostfamous traditional music The Bleedingof the Stone In the Country of Men lonelyplanet.com and mriskaawi, tookthe Anubis,

deer), Libya’sonce-abundantwildlifedeer), has the notoriouslyshy waddans(large goatlike fennec foxes, wolves, snakes, scorpions and lowed upbytheSaharaDesert. in northernLibya,95%of thecountryisswal- ofmountains Jebel andJebel Nafusa Akhdar plainoftile coastal Sahel al-Jefara, andthe over halfthesizeof theEU. Despite thefer- it’s twicethesizeof neighbouring Egypt and Libya isthefourth-largest countryinAfrica; ENVIRONMENT and Aymanal-Aathar. include Mohammed Hassan, Salmin Zarou ofpoetry areligious nature oraboutlove. group of revellers seated singingandreciting with itsoriginsinAndalucía,involves alarge for thelyricsof manyLibyansongs. which camefromMurzuqandformsthebasis lonelyplanet.com restaurant. Vegetarianism israre in Libya, requirements as soonas theyarrive inthe tea orcoffee. dishes, rice orcouscous,a few vegetables and ofof aselection meat (or fish) soup, salad, have abanquet-style meal,which consists inTripoli. taurants are dishes atspecialist fish res- theseafood dishes of great variety.Particular highlights have somewonderful restaurants serving you’re lucky. bearecurring might themeif and potatoes dishes inspired vegetable bytheItalians; stews a littlevariety,there are alsomacaroni-based with ricereplacing couscousin Cyrenaica. For and chicken andtheFezzan, inTripolitania touristdiet consistsofThe staple couscous FOOD &DRINK often litters Libya’swilderness. andthe rubbishthatalltoo its powerneeds ya’s near-total dependenceonfossilfuelsfor impact. environmental ing concernsover theproject’s long-term critically shortonwater andthere are increas- cities –isatemporary solutionforacountry vast under-desert tothirsty coastal reservoirs Man-Made River, which pipeswater from largely wipedout. been Important popularsingersImportant towatch outfor Vegetarians should alwaysspecify their Many restaurants willassumethat youwill andafew othercities Tripoli, Benghazi concerns includeLib- Other environmental Apart from desert speciessuch asgazelles, Apart fromdesert Colonel Qaddafi’sbrainchild –theGreat TRIPOLI••Orientation Malouf,

Sat-Thu, 5pm-midnight Fri) Off Sharia Omaral-Mukhtar. Sat-Thu, Sharia Off 5pm-midnight Fri) of thecentre. language booksonLibya. Sat-Thu) English- ofhard-to-find Anexcellentselection 1stSeptember; .com; Sharia Funduq al-Soraya Net Bakka Access Internet Hospital Emergency Emergency Bookshop Fergiani’s Bookshops INFORMATION square. ping andbusinessstreets radiate fromthe Martyrs Sq(Green Sq).Allthemainshop- corner of themedinaalongsidecentral castle, Al-Sarayaal-Hamra, attheeastern The city’smostrecognisable landmarkisthe ORIENTATION travellers disappointed. to theOttoman-eramedina–willleave few influences –fromRomanruinsandartefacts city.Itsrich ofmopolitan mosaic historical in Arabic)isLibya’slargest andmostcos- Arabic-Islamic flavour. Tripoli(Al-Tarablus terranean charm withadecidedly infused harbours, Tripoliexudesadistinctive Medi- ononeof NorthAfrica’sbestnaturalSet % TRIPOLI available. fee ortea. Nonalcoholic isalsowidely beer water alongwithcof- willbeyourstaples, make sure youdon’tleave hungry. but mostrestaurants are obligingandkeen to advances on your Visa card. advances on your Visa al-Fateh,the Burj where cash you canobtain al-Ahmat Tower1andon the1stfloorof has abranch ontheground floorof theDhat of (Bank Commerce &Development) tanmiya al-Jezayir (Algeria Sq).Masraf al-Tijara Wa- in thestreets Martyrs between SqandMaidan The mosteasilyaccessible Money h For drinks,soft drinksandbottledmineral 021 /pop1.15million 8.30am-midnight Sat-Thu, 5pm-midnight Fri) (cnr Sharias Mizran &Haity;perhrUS$0.80; Mizran (cnrSharias (per hrUS$0.80; ( ( % % h 121) Five south kilometres 4444873; fergi_u@hotmail 10am-2pm &5-9pm masraf h 9am-midnight (banks)are

131 LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA 132 0 500 m TRIPOLI 0 0.3 miles TRIPOLI A B C D E F

INFORMATION SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES SLEEPING DRINKING Algerian Embassy...... 1 D3 Ahmed Pasha Karamanli Buyut ash-Shabaab...... 23 B3 Magha as-Sa'a...... 31 B2 Bakka Net...... 2 C4 Mosque...... 14 B3 Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel...... 24 A2 1 Dutch Embassy...... 3 D4 Al-Saraya al-Hamra...... 15 B2 Funduq al-Andalus...... 25 A3 TRANSPORT Egyptian Embassy...... 4 E3 Arch of Marcus Aurelius...... 16 B2 Funduq al-Deyafa...... 26 A3 Al-Buraq Air...... 32 C4 Fergiani's Bookshop...... 5 C3 Draghut Mosque...... 17 B2 Funduq Tebah...... (see 26) Dahra Bus Station...... 33 E4 Funduq Soraya...... 6 B3 Gurgi Mosque...... 18 B2 Libyan Arab Airlines...... 34 C4 Greek Embassy...... 7 D4 Hammam Draghut...... (see 17) EATING Local Shared Taxi Station...... 35 A3 Italian Embassy...... 8 D3 House of Yusuf Karamanli...... 19 B2 Athar Restaurant...... (see 16) Tunis Garage...... 36 A3 To Dhat al-Ahmat Main Post Office...... 9 C4 Jamahiriya Museum...... 20 B2 Galaxie Restaurant...... 27 C3 Tower (1km); Main Telephone Office...... (see 9) Old British Consulate...... 21 A2 Haj Hmad Restaurant...... 28 C4 Burj al-Fateh (1.2km); Funduq Bab 16 Masraf al-Jamahiriya...... 10 D4 Old French Consulate...... 22 B2 Mat'am ash-Sharq...... 29 B3 al-Jadid (1.3km) Masraf al-Umma...... 11 B3 Mat'am Obaya...... 30 B2 22 Masraf al-Umma...... 12 A3 18 Naizak Coffee Net...... 13 B3 21 17 2 M E D I T E R R A N E A N S E A 24 30 Sharia al-Corniche Ferry Port 19 Old City Fish Market (5.5km); 20 Leptis Magna (5.5km); Souq al-Ghizdir 31 15 Metiga Airport (10km); Martyrs Sq Benghazi (1024km) (Green Sq) 36 14 Sharia ibn 'Uqayl Bourgeiba Mosque Sharia Sidi Omran 29 Sharia al-Corniche 11 Sharia al-Ma'moun Proposed Parkland 12 Sharia Zawiyat al-Dahmani 6 ὈὈὈὈSharia MohammedSharia Megharief Sharia al-Rashid 4 3 Sharia al-Fat'hGazelle 8 Sharia 13 al-Baladiya al-Mizda Fountain Maidan Sharia Sidi Issa 35 Maidan as-Sawayhili 5 Sharia 1st September al-Jezayir Sharia al-Ma'ari 26 (Algeria Sq) Sharia al-Dahra 23 San Francisco 25 Sharia Mizran 1 Church

Sharia Sidi al-Bahul 27 Sharia Tariq 9 3 al-Kabira Tripoli 7 10 International Sharia Abdul Nasser Fair ὈὈὈὈMosque Sharia Ahmad ash-Sharif (Former

Sharia Omar al-Mukhtar Sharia an-Nasr 33 lonelyplanet.com Sharia Amr ibn al-Ass 28 Cathedral) Sharia Haity34 ὇὇὇ 32 2 Sharia 4 To Sabratha (80km); ὇὇὇὇὇὇ ὇὇὇Cemetery al-Jamahiriya Ghadames (611km) Garden City Fashloum

Sharia Khalid ibn al-Walid ὇὇὇὇὇὇ National Library ὇὇὇ Sharia Sharia an-Nasr(People's Palace) ShariaSidi Sidi Munedir Munedir To Emergency Hospital ὇὇὇὇὇὇Islamic Cemetery (5km); Tripoli International To German Embassy (500m); ὇὇὇὇὇὇ Airport (23km) French Embassy (1.5km) and Greek Libya. history andisespeciallystrongonRoman prehensive of overview allperiodsof Libyan withUnesco,providesconsultation acom- Mediterranean. in developed Themuseum, est collectionsof classicalartanywhere inthe h tle), the Al-Saraya al-Hamra intheeastern cornerofHoused thesturdy &ACTIVITIES SIGHTS travel agencies operatingoutof Tripoli. See p141 foralistof thetouroperators and Agencies Travel office post&telephone Main Post &Telephone Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com dina are the five doorwaysand30domes. aroundthe nal minaret andintricate carvings mosque inthemedina,hasabeautiful octago- the and arches (15intheprayerhallalone),while DraghutMosque fromMorocco.carvings The16th-century tilework fromTunisiaandintricate stone imported marblepillars ceramic fromItaly, of themostbeautifulinteriors inthe citywith Nearby, the19th-century andcompletedcity of inAD163to164. Oea remnantthe onlyintact of theancientRoman is watched over bythe dates it fromtheOttomanperiod,although as youenterthemainpostofficehall. internationalandlocalcalls,isonyourleft you canmake h tyrs Sq;adult/childUS$2.40/0.80,camera/videoUS$4/8; Clustered around thenorthof theme- Tripoli’s whitewashed who willinvariably know where the appears, askanearbyshopkeeper no-one response ifyou’re prepared tobepatient.If gentle knockonthe doorshouldelicitsome aretodians ofthekeys never faraway. A have officialopeninghours, butthecus- None ofthemosques inTripoli’smedina ENTERING MEDINAMOSQUES appreciated. Entry isfree, but atipforthecaretaker is especially Fridayprayersaround noon. is.(key) Avoid visiting duringprayertime, 9am-1pm Tue-Sun) 8am-10.30pm Sat-Thu) Thetelephoneoffice,where Ahmed Pasha Karamanli Mosque Ahmed Pasha Karamanli Jamahiriya Museum Jamahiriya Old British Consulate Old British has elegantlyrendered pillars (Tripoli Castle orRedCas- (TripoliCastle ishometooneof thefin- Arch of Marcus Aurelius Arch ofMarcus Gurgi Mosque Gurgi (Maidan al-Jezayir; (Maidan

medina ( %

(Sharia Hara Kebir; HaraKebir; (Sharia , thelargest 3330292; Mar- TRIPOLI••Sights&Activities mostly miftah hasone

, in thearea, Funduqal-Deyafaisasfriendly decoration thatis more stylish thanmostand minibar, air-conditioninglite –butwith TV, bellsandwhistles– satel- all thenecessary our favourite isFunduqal-Andalus, which has thenewprivate between hotels,to choose but hotels lack. kind of attention thatgovernment todetail place hasvery tidyroomswithexactlythe s/dUS$32/39; al-Raza; lack character. as Funduqal-Andalus, the rooms although s/dUS$32/39; al-Raza; .com; Sharia rooms. It hassmallbutspotless,well-appointed location, thispopularplaceisoutstanding. s/dUS$24/32; al-Corniche; bathrooms are fine. place, butthelocationisidealandshared bers US$3.20/4.80) Amribnal-Ass;dmHInonmembers/mem- fax 3330118;Sharia places are recommended. you doget achance thefollowing tochoose, choice whenitcomestoaccommodation.If organised tour,you’re unlikely tohave much As travel toLibyaisonlypossibleaspartof an SLEEPING Mon, Wed&Thu,men7am-5pmTue, Sat&Sun). steam bathUS$0.80,massageUS$1.60; perience, try Karamanli h el-Fransis; admissionUS$1.60,camera/videoUS$1.60/4; 5.30pm Sat-Thu) admission US$1.60,camera/videoUS$1.60/4; price. you’d expect forthe and facilities everything of order,andtheservice taurants thehighest rooms are enormous andluxurious, theres- gance, this isLibya’sclassiest hotel. The is Souqal-Thulatha;corinthia.com; dfrom US$290; thatis attentive. service interior courtyard. of anOttomanmansionarrayedaround h .com; Sharia al-Kindi; s/dUS$39/48; al-Kindi; .com; Sharia Funduq Tebah Funduq al-Deyafa Funduq Babal-Jadid Buyut ash-Shabaab For atraditional Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel BabAfrica Corinthia Funduq al-Andalus 9am-5.30pm Sat-Thu) 9am-5.30pm Sat-Thu) ) A toweringtemple of glassandele-

(admission US$1.60,camera/videoUS$1.60/4; , the Hammam Draghut

( This hostel isapretty basic % a Old French Consulate Consulate Old French 3333575; www.tebah-ly.com; Sharia Sharia 3333575; www.tebah-ly.com;

hammam (Central YouthHostel; ) a (

( ; each isafineexample Similarlyimpressive, this ( % % andthe % ) With a good seafront Withagoodseafront 3343777; www.andalushotel 4448182; diafatip@hotmail 3350670; fax 3350670; Sharia 3350670; faxSharia a

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9am- 133 LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA yahoo.com; Sharia 1st September 135;mealsUS$11-14; 1stSeptember Sharia yahoo.com; traditional teahouse. in themedina,thisisTripoli’soutstanding h cards aregrills andfish.Visa accepted. to mixedtomato-and-paprika-based sauce) spicedlambdishwitha or tajine (alightly food ranges frommore traditionalcouscous inTripoli.Thehigh-quality most pleasant arelocation andtheoutdoortables amongthe the Arch of Marcus Aurelius, hasa wonderful h h lent food.Itsspecialityisthedelicious busyrestaurantdina, thisbright, hasexcel- one of theliveliest thoroughfares intheme- al-Halqa;mealsfromUS$8; Sharia shola restaurantthe tastiest dishyou’llfindandthe all of it’shome-cooked. calamariis Thestuffed luxury, butthere’s inLibyaand nofiner seafood Thu) % lar withlocals–alwaysagoodsign. from (includingfishandbeans)it’spopu- there are plentyof dishestochoose nonoffal heavy oninternal organs, feet andheads.But great placetoenjoytraditionalLibyandishes meals fromUS$6; Haj HmadRestaurant EATING &DRINKING 134 Air Airport, 25km southof the city,and Haity) .com; Sharia Libyan Arab Airlines THERE & AWAY GETTING small fee (aroundUS$1.20). restaurants where they’llgrill itforyoua want, buyitandthen take ittooneof thebasic that you thefishorotherseafood Choose Tajura where there’s aramshackle fishmarket. head 5.5kmeastof theportalongroad to ordered three hours in advance. jara agination thansimilarplaceselsewhere. The theusualdisheswithatouch moredoes im- the area, Galaxieistastefully decorated and (noodles withchickpeas andonions).

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plexes and forums forentertainment. of stature, monumental indulgent bath com- examples of lavish decoration, grand buildings ranean. It’s atestament toextravagance with Romancities intheMediter-most evocative h sion US$2.40,compulsory guideUS$40,camera/videoUS$4/8; Magna Leptis LEPTIS MAGNA from Tripoli. of Romandivinities. with exquisite carvings 108 fluted Corinthiancolumnsisadorned largest inAfrica,itsthree-tiered façadewith tre it isthemagnificent2nd-centuryRoman the finestremnant of ByzantineSabratha,but Sabratha. The6th-century which dominate heartof themonumental the Antonine Temple US$2.40; ics andfrescoes of the the Romansmadecitytheirown. Inthe1stcenturyAD, in the2ndcenturyBC. Sabrathawasresettled bytheGreeks tury BC, theatres of antiquity. especially astheyare hometooneof thefinest are of anyvisittoLibya, amongthehighlights US$4/8; admission US$2.40,compulsoryguideUS$40,camera/video The ruinsof ancient SABRATHA LIBYANORTHERN trip rarely costsmore thanUS$1.60. Airport costsUS$8.Elsewhere inthecity,a to/fromTripoliInternationalA private taxi AROUND GETTING latter is1.5kmeastof thecentre. of the orDahraBusStation; Sharia al-Rashid area near TunisGarage atthewestern end most citiesaroundLibyadepartfromthe (US$30,daily). and Sebha lines alsofliestoGhat(US$44,twiceweekly) (from US$30).LibyanArabAir- to Benghazi of Tripoli.Theybothoperate domesticflights Megharief) Most groupsvisit Sabrathaonadaytrip of Sabrathainclude the mosa- Highlights inthe 4th cen- bythePhoenicians Settled andshared for buses taxis Long-distances thatwilllive longest inthememory.The 8am-6.30pm) Capitoleum h h flies fromMetiga Airport,10kmeast 8am-6pm Tue-Sun) 8am-6.30pm)

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in carparkNo1underthepineand h lunch) ( % h Souq al-Jreed amphitheatre Hadrianic Baths Hadrianic Old TownHall market Mat’am Addiyafa Mat’am 031-621252; [email protected]; 031-621252; [email protected]; , withagoodatmosphere. NORTHERN LIBYA NORTHERN ••Benghazi ( a Freedom Sq Freedom 8am-6.30pm Tue-Sun) ( , % % Severan Basilica Severan ) is outstanding. is outstanding. a 031-620799; al_madinahotel@ 031-626667; Tripoli-Misrata 031-626667; Tripoli-Misrata and Leptis’ andLeptis’ museum Arch of Septimus Severus Arch ofSeptimus ) stretches formore

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lighting andeminently reasonable lighting price tag. floor,tentedbience, withamosaic roof, soft zi’s finestrestaurants. am- Ithasadelightful breakfasts are amongthebestintown. all therequisite bellsandwhistles.Thebuffet most captivating ancient city. Magnarivals Leptis forthetitleof Libya’s sory guideUS$40,camera/video US$4/8; its hilltopperch, Looking outtowardstheMediterranean from % CYRENE from Al-FunduqMarket. andTobruk Sebha Tripoli, Sirt,Al-Bayda, to Tripoli(fromUS$30). .buraqair.com; BerninaAirport) al-Jezayir)Sharia Arab Airlines international anddomesticflights. h al-‘Arabi four restaurants. cardisaccepted. Visa ahealthclub,threeserie, coffee shopsand luxurious ambience. Facilities includeapatis- s/d fromUS$59/80) Tibesti US$40/52) ( andaninternet caféonsite. screen TVs are tworestaurants, aswimmingpool,large- There pointed, andcomewithlaundryservice. roomsareThe pleasant spaciousandwellap- US$29/43; el-Shatt;s/[email protected]; Sharia with satellite TV. quietandspaciousrooms has comfortable, excellent place3kmnorthof thecentre. It s/dUS$20/32; al-Madawi; AhmedRafiq Sharia by the Greeks in the 2nd century BC and by the Greeks in the 2nd century BC Romancapital. itbecameanimportant BC, from Greek toRoman administrationin 75 philosophers andscholars. After thechange renowned forits world inthe4thcentury BC, Cyrene wasthepre-eminent cityof the Greek land of Thera(modernSantorini)in631 BC, % Benghazi’s Bernina Airporthandlesboth Bernina Benghazi’s On thenorthernsideof theharbour, tophotels, One of Benghazi’s Funduq an-NadiLibya Founded byGreek settlersfrom theis- There are andshared to dailybuses taxis For abite toeatyoucan’tgopast Built in2003, The large, open lunch &dinnerSat-Thu, dinnerFri) 084 9095160; www.uzuhotel.com; Sharia al-Jezayir;9095160; www.uzuhotel.com;Sharia s/dfrom

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LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA significance inthelate Romanperiod. Mostof Cyrene andcametorivalitsmothercityin video US$4/8; lonia Another wonderfulancientGreek city, % APOLLONIA and goodviewsdowntowardsthe coast. friendly, atmosphericplaceoffering food tasty from US$12; taurant cut intooneof thecaves. rooms andanexcellentcaférestaurant s/d US$28/35; bers US$2.40/4) Hostel; Cyrene are hometothe nearby townof thehillsaround Al-Bayda, Graeco-Roman city. tefacts thatonceadornedthisextraordinary sculptureswonderful statues, andotherar- (admission US$2.40,camera/videoUS$4/8; the Parthenon inAthens. Cyrene’s from therest of Cyrene, wasoncelarger than 5th-century-BC situated predate theApollotemple. Thespectacularly and theadjacent includes the6th-century-BC the hillfromagora, &Kore ary ofDemeter Bases monuments such as the of ancientCyrene –islittered withstunning are remarkable, whiletheagora–heart ofNearby, themosaics the is mostpeople’sintroductiontothecity. later converted bytheRomansintoaforum, 136 reaches of thesite. turesque Church Eastern in Cyrenaica. remain Somemosaics inthe Palace Duke’s Roman baths and Byzantinecolumns; the2nd-century Church Western a narrowstripof coastlineandinclude the of churches’. era whenApollonia wasknownasthe‘city what remains today dates from theByzantine Tue-Sun) Although many tour groups stay inthe manytourgroupsstay Although Also inthehillsaroundCyrene The Apolloniaruins are strungoutalong 084

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( 637371; campingUS$4,dmHImembers/nonmem- % theatre h Greek theatre Greek Naval Monument h andthe and pa 635206; [email protected]; meals 635206; [email protected]; , onceone of the biggest palaces lunch) , whilethe plungingand pic- 8am-7pm Oct-Apr) 8am-7pm Oct-Apr) , withitsmixture of Roman isalsofascinating,whilethe gymnasium Temple ofArtemis , livinguptoitsname,isa Temple ofZeus ) ; thelatter has pleasant andthe Cyrene Resort Cyrene stands at theeastern stands Buyut ash-Shabaab Temple oftheOctagonal , theunusual ; andthe Capitoleum Sanctuary ofApollo Sanctuary House ofHesychius was theportof Temple ofApollo

, upthehill ( h % , which may 8am-6.30pm 0851-64391; Byzantine Cave Res- museum . Down Sanctu- (Youth (Youth Apol-

which hosts the Other stunning completely surrounded by114cavelike rooms. main courtyard isbreathtaking, withthewalls sincethe12thcentury. The the local harvests ning It’sfamousforits pottery. houses. Berber and hasanumber of unusualunderground your waytoGhadames. the plains.It’sworth exploringasyoumake stone villages above clingingtooutcropshigh slopes. It’salandof rockyescarpmentsand heart of southern Africafromthemountains’ Sahara, which stretches intothe awaydeep protect Libya’snortheastern coastfromthe The barren Jebel (Western Mountains) Nafusa NAFUSA JEBEL SOUTHERN LIBYA rooms. inthecomfortable lite TV happens tobeTobruk’sfinesthotel withsatel- southwestern cornerof theharbourandalso south of theharbour. Cemetery slabs liningtheinsidewallsofsaic the of soldiers 6026German are inscribedinmo- 8km southof theharbour,whilenames 300 soldiers are buriedinthe 2479graves.dignity andcontains More than the harbour,alsohasanairof simplicityand WarCemetery (Commonwealth) as the former battlefielddressing known station andTobrukisthe Knightsbridge Cemetery 3649 graves the of Alliedsoldiers. Between west of town,isthelargest inTobrukwith h attraction isthe WWIIbattles.Itsmain(andonly) important Tobruk wasthesceneof someof themost % TOBRUK (meals US$12). roomsandagoodrestaurantwith outstanding .com; s/dUS$35/47; trance, US$28/35; Funduq al-Masira The In aprimelocation50mfromthesite en- Further west, Gharyan 9am-5pm Sat-Thu, 2-5pmFri) 087 /pop121,052 qasr Australian (Fig Hospital Australian Tree) Al-Manara Hotel Hotel Al-Manara Knightsbridge (Acroma) Cemetery (Acroma) Knightsbridge , a forbidding sandstone fort3.2km , aforbiddingsandstone a (fortifiedgranary) thathasstored sprawlsacrossthe topof aplateau ) isaconcrete eyesore onthe ai Qs Festival Qasr qasrs Qasr al-Haj war cemeteries

are to befound in ( ) % ( is alovely private hotel % 625761; fax625769;s/d . ishometoastun- 63035; www.manarahotel inApril, , 6kmsouthof lonelyplanet.com French Cemetery French

. The (admission free; and , 20km German German Kabaw Tobruk Nalut . , , later there wasjustonefamilyleft. 6666 peoplelivingintheoldtown;fouryears homes of theirancestors. In1984there were to Ghadamsisencourage themtoleave the werebeyond thewallsandnewhouses given yan government beganbuildinganewtown In1982–83theLib- towards modernisation. victim totherevolutionary government’s push cities, includingthatof Ghadames,have fallen Inrecentand Italians. decades,Libya’sold ago andwasoccupiedbyboththeOttomans turies. It’sanextraordinaryplace. and apaceof life largely unchanged forcen- labyrinthineoldtown, wonderfully preserved, oasistohavedesert –abundantpalmgroves, a thatyouimaginea Ghadames haseverything The UnescoWorldHeritage–listed oldcityof % GHADAMES lonelyplanet.com riot of colour and activity. Ghadames Festival h ( arranging avisit. and DanMagrumah. Talk toyourguideabout .com) public: stunningly restored andare now opentothe At leastthree of have theoldhouses been the publiclanewaysbelowbelonged tomen. the domainof waythat womeninthesame werehouses connected. Therooftops were paintedwalls andbrightly interiors, allof the in Libya. Eye-catching withwhitewashed cal spaceandvisitingoneisamust while ofGhadames mademaximumuse verti- munal square forpublicevents. schools, marketshouses, andasmallcom- town,withamosque, tially aself-contained ‘street’ wasessen- Wazidtribes.Each and Bani of adifferent of Walid subsection theBani ‘streets’,divided intoseven each thedomain covering around10hectares. Thecitywas ing residential andcommercialdistricts configuredloosely concentricareas contain- irrigated by wells.Theoldcitycomprised andextensivewashed houses palmgardens another worldof covered alleyways,white- sory guidehalf/fulldayUS$32/47,camera/videoUS$4/8) on oldGhadames. % Old Ghadames The oldcitywasfoundedaround800years In October every year, theannualthree-dayIn October every The designers of the In thenewpartof town, 9am-1.30pm Sat-Thu) 0484 /pop16,752 62225; adult/childUS$2.40/0.80, camera/videoUS$4/8; ; Dan Bero (ask at Dan Bero Coffee Shop) (askatDanBero ; DanBero Dan DoOmer SOUTHERNLIBYA ••Ghadames

brings theold cityalive ina (adult/child US$2.40/0.80,compul-

( % isaworthwhile window 62300; dandoomer731@yahoo traditional houses Ghadames Museum of of is

634115; s/dUS$24/32; 28; of dunes,thedarkridges stunningsand of Jebel heart of abackdrop townandasuperb setting: There’s mud-brick an evocative the mostattractive of theLibyanoasistowns. The ancienttradingcentre of Ghat isoneof % GHAT &THEJEBELACACUS of dunes andpalmtreesrounded bysand is one Swimmingin thebuoyantwaterssunset. sur- easily accessibleandmajestically beautifulat chanting three –pretty dried upandmostrequire longer expeditions, least 11lakes inthearea. manyhave Although of dunes.There toweringsand matic sea are at isadra- The IdehanUbari(UbariSandSea) UBARI&THELAKES IDEHAN of At-Tayeb thehouse, Mohamed Hiba. .com) bowl). and eaten withthehandsfromacommunal cooked inalowoven together sauce inatasty aat frequently prepared mealisthedelicious ofditional houses theoldtown.Themost lunchames is,however, inoneof thetra- especially thetajine, are great. town have Itschicken closed. andlambdishes, ( The onlyproblem with El-Deawan Funduq Kasser Hotel Al-Waha Motel Winzrik best hotels are: Ghadames’ town (B&BUS$16).Otherwise, that opentheirdoors totravellers allacross modation, butthere are villas(private homes) by the ever-shifting of not to sands the desert, of unique natural rockformations enhanced wonderful scenery,which features a number World Heritage–listed area is home tosome ofthe sands thecentral Sahara. This Unesco of stonemonoliths dark basalt risingupfrom Tassili-n-Ajjer (inAlgeria) tothewest. peaksofAcacus totheeast andthedistant the it’s sogoodmostof theotherrestaurants in % the The ultimate eatingexperienceinGhad- The Ghadames hasashortage of goodaccom- a (lentils,muttonandbuckwheatpancakes 0724 /pop24,347 62429; mealsfromUS$9; does thistoperfection; askfortheowner does great experiences. desert ) Jebel Acacus Jebel Dan DoOmer Umm al-Maa Umm al-Maa ( ( % Mavo % /fax 82485;campingUS$4,s/dUS$24/ 62569; fax62568;s/dUS$24/32; isanotherworldly landscape a

, dramatic ( % (Mother of Water) –are ) 62300; dandoomer731@yahoo h ( % lunch &dinner) 63350; fax041- Restaurant Awwal Restaurant Gebraoun medina anden- isthat inthe a 137 fit-

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LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA The cropof newprivate hotels ischeaper, isoften dysfunctional. butservice standard, roomsofwell situated andpossess areasonable Funduq canopy of stars isfree andunrivalledinbeauty. undera sand onthe desert camping, sleeping but dirt-cheap As andfine foranight. for shabaab Libya hasanextensive networkof ACCOMMODATION LIBYA DIRECTORY in theoverall costof yourtour. by yourtourcompanyandthepriceincluded Waw al-Namus,butthisshould behandled vehicles. tovisit Apermitisofficiallyneeded two-day roundtripinreliable, well-equipped ing here isamajor andinvolves undertaking a avoid scarringthelandscapeforothers. Visit- theexistingtracksdownintocrater to use sure to in thecentre stunningviews.Be affords ference andthesummitof therockymountain green andblue. Thecrater is7kmincircum- palm-fringed lakes inwhich thewater isred, isstunning,asarevolcanic sand thethree Theblack-and-whiteroad endsatTmissah. world, 300kmsoutheastof where thepaved one of themostremote destinationsinthe al-Namus isaweirdandwonderfulplace, The extraordinaryvolcaniccrater of Waw WAW AL-NAMUS nies inthemedinatobringNewYear. ing andre-enactments of traditionalceremo- cathedral-like Jebel Acacus,withTuareg danc- features concertamidthe sunset aspectacular ceremonies anddancinghumanfigures. wedding ings includingelephants,giraffes, mention prehistoric rockpaintingsandcarv- 138 the finest scenery the Sahara has tooffer. All camel) enable youto experience some of by 4WD(andoccasionally safaris Desert ACTIVITIES your visitfromthe company’squoted prices. choosing some hotels mayincrease thecostof that inmind, however, specific requests. Bear most tourcompanies are willingtoaccede with goodinformation (such as thisguide!), sion forthetour company,ifyou’re armed thechoicethough of hotel isgenerally adeci- friendlier andmuch better Al- maintained. The IY IETR • Acmoain LIBYA ••Accommodation DIRECTORY Acacus Festival (youthhostels), which are pretty basic (government-run hotels) are often (DecembertoJanuary) buyut ash- October toMarch October 8amto3pmSaturdayThursday toSeptember, April some andslow yourjourney, but you’ll rarely friendly bunch. Policecheckpoints canbe tire- and Libyans are generally and a hospitable Libya isa very safe countryinwhich totravel DANGERS &ANNOYANCES rock artof southernLibya. antiquities andfragments fromtheSaharan rigorous; they’re especiallyconcernedabout tions upondeparture tend more tobeslightly of inspectionsattheborder. Customsinspec- the country(see p141 ), expectanhourortwo country. Ifyou’re bringingyourowncarinto thinkofeven tryingtobringalcohol intothe cursory bagsare although X-rayed.Don’t Libyan customschecks onarrivalare pretty CUSTOMS Shops day toThursday,6pm10pmFriday Restaurants 3pm to1amFriday cafés Internet offices Government Banks BUSINESS HOURS expeditionsof desert twoweeks. deep such expeditionslastingfromtwodaysupto Libyan tourcompanies( p141 ) canarrange & Saturday to 12.30pmand3.30pm4.30pmor5.30pmWednesday

PRACTICALITIES Libyausesthemetricsystem for system Libya’selectricity caters for LibyahasthePAL (B)videosystem, asin channelsare International satellite TV coverage Radio inLibyaincludesthe International newspapersandmaga- 10amto2pmand5pm8pmSaturdayThursday weights andmeasures. European-style type. two-pin 220V to240VAC, plugsare 50Hz; ofthe Western Europe. available inmosthotels. wave.on short andotherEuropean radio 12.095MHz) and (15.070MHz BBC WorldService zines are notavailableinLibya. 9amto1pmSundayTuesday andThursday,8am 12.30pmto3pmand6pm10pmSatur- 9amto1amSaturdayThursdayand 7amto2pmSaturdayThursday lonelyplanet.com 10117 Berlin) 2606) ACT Uaharan) Uaharan) 00 162) 02); London SW71NH) Saleh Ayoub,Zamalek) El-Biar,Algiers) Ibrahimi, city with celebrations oftraditional culture and weddings. The Hague) Germany France Egypt Chad Canada Australia Algeria People’s Bureaus. Libyan embassies abroadare known asLibyan Libyan Embassies&Consulates EMBASSIES &CONSULATES speed. people drivingathigh can behazardous,withthemajor danger being DrivinginLibya buildings orpolicestations). your cameraatrestricted sites (iegovernment be asked toshowidentification.Don’tpoint lonelyplanet.com Gaae Festival Ghadames Festival Qasr FESTIVALS &EVENTS US UK Netherlands Italy Germany France Level 5) Belgium Algeria Tripoli (Map p132 ) include: Countries withdiplomaticrepresentation in inLibya Embassies &Consulates US UK Tunisia Sudan Netherlands Italy Ottawa, OntK1P6K7) Ottawa, New York,NY10017) the Jebel Nafusa and centres on Kabaw’s evocative evocative Nafusaandcentres on Kabaw’s the Jebel Andalus) Held inApril. (c/o US Interests Section, BelgianEmbassy) (c/oUSInterests Section, ( ( ( % Rome % % ( Milan ( % % ( ( ( ( % 212-752 5775;[email protected];309East48th St, ( % ( 021-3351422; Burjal-Fateh, Level 24) 020-7589 6120;61-62Ennismore Gardens, ( ( % % % % % % ( ( ( ( % 021-3334131; [email protected]; 1 Sharia 1Sharia 021-3334131; [email protected]; ( ( % 519289; Rue de Mazieras, N’Djaména) 519289; RuedeMazieras, % % % 02-735 1269; fax 02-735 0072; 7 Sharia el- 02-735 1269;fax0072;7Sharia % 83222085; Mashtel St, Riyadh, Khartoum) St,Riyadh, 83222085; Mashtel 01 40677575;3VillaCopernic,75116,Paris) 021-4774891; Sharia Benial-Amar, Hay 021-4774891; Sharia 01-780 866;48BisRuedue1erJuin,Tunis 01) 92 15 02; 15 Chemin Cheikh Bachirel- 92 1502;CheminCheikh 021-4440025; Sharia Kairaoun) 021-4440025; Sharia 0613-230 0919; Suite 1000, 81 Metcalfe St, 0613-230 0919;Suite1000,81Metcalfe ( ( ( p136 ) Honours theBerbertraditions of 06-86 320951;ViaNomentana365,Rome 021-3350115; Dhatal-AhmatTower4, % % 02-6290 7900; 50 Culgoa Circuit, O’Malley, 02-6290 7900;50CulgoaCircuit,O’Malley, 030-20 05960;Schützenstrasse15-17, 021-3330554; Sharia Hassanal-Mashai) 021-3330554; Sharia 02-86 46 42 85; Via Barrachini 7, Milan 02-86 464285;ViaBarrachini7,Milan 021-4441549; 20 Sharia Galal Bayar) Galal 021-4441549; 20Sharia 020-355 8886;Parkweg 15,1285GH, LIBYA ••Embassies&Consulates DIRECTORY ( p137 intheold ) Held eachOctober qasr . includes concerts inthemountains. includes concerts and January.Celebratesthetown’sTuareg and heritage POST branches inTripoliandBenghazi. of (Bank Commerce&Development) tanmiya cardattheMasrafon yourVisa al-Tijara Wa- lers cheques –cashiskinginLibya. pounds are preferred. Nobankschange travel- denomination euros,USdollars orBritish exchange rates are allbutidentical.Large- changing money,thebankandblack-market The unitof currency istheLibyandinar. For MONEY Acacus andWawal-Namus. be themapof choice diditnotomittheJebel graphia’s Jamahiriya Arab tional’s maps available inLibyaincludeMalt Interna- andWest North Africa most reliable mapisMichelin’s Map No953, expeditionsinremoteFor desert areas, the MAPS to US$1.20perhourinremote places. costs range fromUS$0.60perhourinTripoli on thewindow.Connectionscanbeslow,and town –lookfortheblueInternet Explorer sign internet cafésare present small inalmostevery Libya hasjoinedtheinternet revolution and ACCESS INTERNET Day ofMourning Day Revolution Day US Evacuation Day Evacuation British Day Declaration ofthePeople’s Authority holidays includethefollowing: brated inLibya,see p1106 . Themainnational For afulllistof religious holidays thatare cele- HOLIDAYS Festival Acacus ling from outside Libya is218. Tomake an Libya’s telephone country code ifyou’re dial- TELEPHONE most places, includingEurope andAustralia. apostcard/letter to costs US$0.25/0.40 tosend tions mastrising above thecentre of town.It easily recognisable telecommunica- bythetall they’re town hasapostoffice; Almost every It’s now possible to obtain acash advance It’s nowpossibletoobtain Map of the Socialist People’sLibyan Libya 1September ( p137 December ) HeldinGhatduring 26 October 26October (1:2,000,000),which would 11June (1:3,500,000)andCarto- 28 March 28March (1:4,000,000).Thebest 2 March 2 March

139 LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA Libyan tour operators, see Libyan touroperators, see opposite . for 30daysfromthedate of entry.Foralistof allowing foramonthissafer. are Visas valid The processgenerally but takes twoweeks, withthetourcompany. when makingcontact point toLibya,butspecifywhich youprefer bassy inyourhomecountryoratentry either from theLibyanem- collect yourvisa Youcan the embassyorimmigrationofficials. firmation tosmooththeprocesswith airlines, Make sure youhave anArabic-language con- number. youavisa company willthensend tion fromaLibyantourcompany. Thetour aLibyan To obtain aninvita- you’llneed visa, VISAS you need. able toprovide youwithalltheinformation information. Yourtourcompanyshould be companies ratherthansourcesof practical overseer of thetourismindustryandtour Libya’s TourismMinistryoperates asan TOURIST INFORMATION company athomebefore travelling. mobile phoneinLibya–check withyour minutes totheUK/USA/Italy. connect. For8LD,youwillhave 210/145/152 8LD(US$6.30)cardsandcanhelpyou sell calls are madeininternet cafés;mostcafés US$0.20). Thecheapest international phone connectionsandarestant quite cheap (around mobile numbers. bers beginningwith091or092are Libyan chapter ifyou’re callinglongdistance. Num- as aprefix tonumbers listed this throughout neath each destinationheading)are required and thenthenumber. Area codes(listed be- international callfrominsideLibya,dial00 140 a less-misunderstood view of Western women in relation towomen that have contributed to largely of because Libyan government policies tries inNorth Africaforwomen totravel in, In general, Libyaisoneof theeasiest coun- TRAVELLERS WOMEN Tripoli. embassies of respective these countriesin Niger andAlgeria are notavailable fromthe toChad, Sudan, border crossings, whilevisas toTunisiaandEgyptVisas are available atthe forOnwardTravel Visas You’re unlikely toget coverage foryour withinLibyainvariablyreceiveCalls in- RNPR NLBA • etn hr wy INLIBYATRANSPORT There &Away ••Getting lines.com) .aero) .swiss.com) as a matter of principle. heard of anyone turning down such anoffer herded to thefrontof thequeue. We’ve never eign travellers are often, embarrassingly, shep- perishingly hot;bringyour ownwater. For- Egypt, isremote, chaotic and,insummer, and12kmwestofbruk atAmsaad Sallumin The Libya–Egypt border,139km east of To- EGYPT it’s closed. out asit’salong roadbacktoanywhere if check thesituationinTripolibefore setting time todependingonthepolitical winds; of openfrom writing.Niger’s borderdoes Sudan were notopentotravellers atthe time Libya’s borders withAlgeria, Chad,Niger and Land Airlines Turkish Tunis Air Syrianair Airlines Swiss International Royal Jordanian Point-Afrique Lufthansa KLM RoyalDutchAirlines Emirates Airways British Airlines Austrian Alitalia Air Malta Airways Afriqiyah following: airport. Sebha’s Tripoli’sMetigaof alsouse flights Airportand Airport.Asmallnumber Bernina Benghazi’s Libya arrives atTripoliInternational Airport, The vastmajority of international into flights Air THERE&AWAY GETTING INLIBYATRANSPORT of behaviour. unpleasant being treated with respect, withfew incidents a result, mostfemale travellers have reported than insomeothercountriesof theregion. As .klm.com) .com) Many airlines serve Tripoli,includingthe Many airlinesserve ( % ( ( ( ( % % % % ( % 021-3350298; www.alitalia.com) 021-3336303; www.tunisair.com) 021-3350597; www.emirates.com) 021-4446716; www.syriaair.com) 021-3350579; www.airmalta.com) (www.point-afrique.com) 021-3350375; www.lufthansa.com) 021-3350375; www.lufthansa.com) ( ( ( % ( % % % ( % 021-3351281; www.britishairways 021-3351252; www.turkishair 021-4442453; www.rja.com.jo) 021-4442453; www.rja.com.jo) 021-3350242; www.aua.com) 021-3333647; www.afriqiyah ( % ( % 021-3350018; www 021-3350022; www lonelyplanet.com tour company. within thecountrywillbeorganised byyour alltransport Libya couldn’tbeeasierbecause In thiseraof organised tours, getting around AROUND GETTING onward travel. themandarrangetour companywillmeet dane asfartheborder,where theirLibyan a Tunisianshared Guer- fromSfax orBen taxi (10 to12hours), mosttravellers although take and shared TripoliandTunis between taxis Adjir.land atRas There are numerousbuses and thencrosstheTunisia–Libyaborderby (for which there are numerouscheap flights) To get toLibyamanytravellers flytoTunisia TUNISIA youbypriorarrangement.tor willmeet Libyan border,where yourLibyantouropera- travel taxis fromMarsa Matruhservice tothe the border,shared gofromSallumand taxis (24hours). OntheEgyptianto Cairo sideof lonelyplanet.com inside towns. and 50km/h or below 100km/h on highways record, allcars on (including4WDs) muststay they think theycanget awaywith.For the road, and Libyansgenerally drive asfast as the country,see p138 . spections whenbringing yourowncarinto of Forinformation oncustomsin- your stay. remains responsible foryoutheduration company whoarranged andwho yourvisa at leastonerepresentative of theLibyantour to travellers. Youmustbeaccompaniedby of thecountry isonearea thatisoff-limits go –theTibesti region inthefarsoutheast 4WD, there are few limitsonwhere youcan If youhave yourownvehicle, especiallya &Motorcycle Car .libyanarabairline.com) .com) Libya are planned. toGhadames,withmoreflights regular flights There andSebha. areBayda) alsooccasional Ghat,Houn,Lebreq (nearAl- to Benghazi, connectingTripoli ing rapidlywithflights Libya’s domesticairlinenetworkisexpand- Air Long-distance buses run from Benghazi runfromBenghazi buses Long-distance Driving is on the right-hand sideofDriving isonthe right-hand the The twoairlinesthatflydomestically in and Libyan ArabAirlines Al-Buraq Air TRANSPORT INLIBYA TRANSPORT Around ••Getting .

( % 021-4444811; www.buraqair

( % 021-3616738; www Founi should be your first port ofcall. Founi shouldbeyourfirstport andgood guides;Hussein company withflexibleitineraries Outstanding andprofessional small .robban-tourism.com) tours.com) -travel.com) owner isthe helpfulAliShebli. It’s Benghazi-based. reputation forrunninganefficientandflexiblecompany. .almuheettours.net) Theowner,Samyal-Ghibani,has a company withitsmain base inGermany. Very8229; www.shati-zuara.de in German) goodLibyan &Tourism Travel Shati Zuara LinkTravel Sahara Services Robban Tourism Destination Libye Tours Al-Muheet in Tripoliunless statedotherwise. ommended tousbytravellers. Allare based that weeitherrecommend orhave hadrec- The followingcompaniesare amongthose Tours your friendlymachine-gun-toting soldier. slow downorstopuntilyouget thewave from assumepoint, never thatyouwillbe. Always times you’ve waved been acheck- through Winzrik Tourism Services Tourism Winzrik &Tours Wings Travel Taknes Co & Tourism Sukra Travel tank foraroundUS$4.Nomattertank howmany condition andpetrolischeap; you’llfillyour rik.com) Libya’s largestand longest-standing tour company. rik.com) hotmail.com) bye.com) SpecialisesinFrench-language tours. Libyan roadsare inexcellent maintained lines are approaching. threatenresort, towrite tousifvisadead- following upwithphonecallsand,asalast inallfields.ness practice Bepersistent by is somethingofanestablishedLibyanbusi- lonetravellers, afflicts but lem particularly periods ofsilencefromTripoli.This prob- intoaccounttheincomprehensibleto take tourcompanieslongbeforecontacting that couple ofweeks,butyou’re advisedtostart onlya at all.The visaprocesstakes actual manydon’tanswer emails promptly.Infact, fer fromanoccasionalinabilitytoanswer tour companies,althoughallofthemsuf- Libya hasnumerousprofessionally run NO ANSWER,TRY AGAIN ( % 021-3350526; fax021-3350525) The ( ( % ( % % ( in Benghazi061-9082084;www % in Tripoli 021-4779854;www.dli in Tripoli ( 021-3343209; saharalink@ ( % ( % 021-3331855; www.wings % 021-3340604; www.sukra 021-3611123; www.winz ( 021-4441530; www % in Zuara091315

141 LIBYA LIBYA LIBYA 142 the above - ‘Do the right thing withour content.’ the above -‘Do theright the termsandconditions onoursitefor alongerwayof saying youknow, orresell it.See everyone site,massemailit to only. Inother words,please don’t uploadthischapter toapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethink it’sfairtoask you touseitforpersonal, non-commercial purposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasier foryoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake © LonelyPlanetPublications

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