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Libya Highlights 59 images Created 29 Jan 2022

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  • Apollonia. Libya.  View of the imposing Eastern Church with its large monolithic columns of cipollino marble from the Greek island of Paros dividing the nave and aisles and forming transepts.  Dating from the 5th century AD, the church was the biggest in the region and is believed to have been built on top of the foundations of an earlier Hellenistic Temple believed to have been a Temple of Apollo.
    Libya_Apollonia_001.tif
  • Apollonia. Libya.  View of the Greek Theatre of Apollonia which lies just outside the eastern walls facing the Libyan / Mediterranean Sea.  Dating from the Hellenistic period, the theatre was remoulded under the Emperor Domitian (AD 92-96) and is considered the best preserved theatre auditorium in Cyrenaica. The theatres cavea remains unchanged from its original construction and still has its twenty eight rock cut tiers of seats.
    Libya_Apollonia_002.tif
  • Apollonia. Libya.  View of the sun setting over the Libyan / Mediterranean Sea from the modern town of Susa which is the gateway to the ancient port city of Apollonia. Susa was founded in 1897 as a colony of Moslem refugees from the Greek island of Crete.
    Libya_Apollonia_005.tif
  • Apollonia. Libya. View of the Roman baths at Apollonia which date from the 2nd century AD. It consisted of hot and cold rooms, a small plunge pool in its centre and a large open courtyard which acted as an exercise hall and was flanked by fluted Corinthian columns of local sandstone. In the background is the Libyan / Mediterranean Sea and Hammam Island which was connected to the mainland before the devastating earthquake of 365 AD which submerged a large part of the harbour.
    Libya_Apollonia_018.tif
  • Benghazi. Cyrenaica. Libya. View of the Commonwealth war graves cemetery at Benghazi. There 1,214 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the Cemetery. This includes graves of Australian, British, Greek, Indian, Jewish, Libyan, Norwegian, South African and Sudanese soldiers. The cemetery was built and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
    Libya_Benghazi_Commonwealth_War_Ceme...tif
  • Libya_Benghazi_Commonwealth_War_Ceme...tif
  • Benghazi. Cyrenaica. Libya. Tombstone and grave of a Greek seaman from the Greek merchant navy at the Commonwealth war graves cemetery at Benghazi. There 1,214 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the Cemetery. This includes graves of Australian, British, Greek, Indian, Jewish, Libyan, Norwegian, South African and Sudanese soldiers. The cemetery was built and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
    Libya_Benghazi_Commonwealth_War_Ceme...tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. View at the sculpture museum of a Sphinx on top of a column with Ionic capital. Dating from the Archaic period - (650 BC-480 BC), the Sphinx is one of the most important monuments found at Cyrene. A similar copy of the statue is also found in Delphi Museum, Greece.
    Libya_Cyrene_Museum_013.tif
  • The famous Aphrodite (Venus) of Cyrene, dated to 130 AD, a Roman copy of a Hellenistic masterpiece. The sculpture represents the goddess Aphrodite famously rising from the Sea (Anadyomene). It is believed to have been looted or destroyed sometime during the last 10 years.
    Libya_Cyrene_Museum_021.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. View at the sculpture museum of a marble statue of Alexander the Great.  This Roman example dates from the time of Hadrian and was found in the Baths of Trajan. Cyrene which was founded by Greek immigrants from the little Greek island of Thera –Santorini- around 631 BC is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is North Africa’s most complete ancient Greek city.
    Libya_Cyrene_Museum_025.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. View at the sculpture museum of funerary statues representing Persephone -the Goddess of the underworld. The sculptures dating from the 5th century BC and were found near tombs either in niches or on bases.
    Libya_Cyrene_Museum_030.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. View at the museum of the beautiful sculpture known as the Three Graces. The sculpture is a representation of the three daughters of Zeus known as three charites, Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia - who were said to represent beauty, charm and joy. This Roman example dates from the time of Hadrian and was found in the Baths of Trajan. Cyrene which was founded by Greek immigrants from the little Greek island of Thera –Santorini- around 631 BC is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is North Africa’s most complete ancient Greek city.
    Libya_Cyrene_Museum_039.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. Overview of the Sanctuary of Apollo which is dominated by the Temple of Apollo. The sanctuary is beautifully situated 600 meters high, overlooking the Green Mountain plateau and 13 km inland from the Mediterranean. It is where Cyrene was first established by the Greeks and it has within it a rich collection of temples, altars, fountains, theatre, Roman-period baths and a Doric monumental entrance.
    Libya_Cyrene_Sanctuary_001.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya.  On the right is the monumental altar of Apollo which is front of the Temple of Apollo on the left. Dating from the 6th century, the Altar was built with white marble slabs over a limestone base and was used for Religious rites, including animal sacrifices. In the centre, closer to the Temple of Apollo is the semi circular Fountain of Cyrene or Nymphaeum, which has the column of Pratomedes in its centre and had marble lions on either side.
    Libya_Cyrene_Sanctuary_006.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. View of a finely cut marble portal and headless marble sculpture of female figure beautifully draped at the Temple of Artemis which dates from the late 7th or early 6th century BC.
    Libya_Cyrene_Sanctuary_018.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. View of the circular sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone (Kore) with marble figures that depict the deities and their followers. Demeter is the Goddess of grain and Kore is her daughter. The Sanctuary was the scene of a riotous women only annual celebration. In Cyrene, the economy heavily depended on the production of grain.
    Libya_Cyrene_Sanctuary_119.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. View of fertile plain from the Sanctuary of Apollo. The sanctuary of Apollo is beautifully situated 600 meters high, overlooking the Green Mountain plateau and 13 km inland from the Mediterranean.
    Libya_Cyrene_Sanctuary_147.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. Cut into a cliff faces overlooking the Green Mountain plateau and all around Cyrene are thousands of tombs and individual sarcophagi that were built and used from the 6th century BC by the Greeks, then added to by the Romans and Byzantines up to the 6th century AD.  Some of the tombs which were quite spacious still contain traces of their distinctive Greek and Hellenistic facades. Unfortunately every visible tomb or sarcophagi has been robed and damaged either in Byzantine or early Islamic times. The Necropolis of Cyrene is one of the most extensive cemeteries in the ancient world and gives the most vivid impression of Cyrene’s Greek Heritage.
    Libya_Cyrene_Sanctuary_152.tif
  • Cyrene. Libya. Image of the Temple of Zeus which dates originally from the 5th century BC and its size is comparable to the Parthenon in Athens Greece.
    Libya_Cyrene_Zeus_Temple_002.tif
  • Latrun. Libya. View of the Libyan / Mediterranean Sea and the spectacular and rugged Eastern Libyan coastline beside the two 6th century AD Byzantine Basilicas of the small town of L’Atrun or Al Athrun which is located approximately 35 kilometres from Apollonia in the region of Cyrenaica.
    Libya_Latrun_001.tif
  • Latrun. Libya. View of the Libyan / Mediterranean Sea and the spectacular and rugged Eastern Libyan coastline beside the two 6th century AD Byzantine Basilicas of the small town of L’Atrun or Al Athrun which is located approximately 35 kilometres from Apollonia in the region of Cyrenaica.
    Libya_Latrun_009.tif
  • Latrun. Libya. View of the restored Byzantine Western Church / Basilica at the small town of L’Atrun or Al Athrun which is located approximately 35 kilometres from Apollonia in the region of Cyrenaica.
    Libya_Latrun_017.tif
  • Leptis Magna. Libya. The well preserved Theatre was built around AD 1-2 and is one of oldest Roman theatres found anywhere in the Roman world.
    Libya_Leptis_Magna_001.tif
  • Leptis Magna. Libya. View along an ancient Roman street to the restored four way Arch of Septimius Severus. The Arch was built hastily in AD 203 to commemorate the visit of the Roman Emperor and his family back to his native city.
    Libya_Leptis_Magna_002.tif
  • Leptis Magna. Libya. View of the Amphitheatre beside the Libyan and Mediterranean Seas. Originally constructed around AD 56, the Amphitheatre had a capacity of 16,000 spectators and was used to entertain the masses and their lust for blood sports.
    Libya_Leptis_Magna_003.tif
  • Leptis Magna. Libya. Partial view of the remains of the Roman market which was built around 8-9 BC with alterations and enhancements made during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 AD).
    Libya_Leptis_Magna_004.tif
  • Leptis Magna. Libya. View of one of the two octagonal halls that were setup with stalls so traders could sell goods such as fruit and vegetables, fabrics and imported goods.
    Libya_Leptis_Magna_005.tif
  • Leptis Magna. Libya.  One of the wonderful round medallions representing the sea nymphs of Nereids that are found in the courtyard of the Forum of Severus or New Forum. Built during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 AD).
    Libya_Leptis_Magna_007.tif
  • Leptis Magna. Libya.  One of the wonderful round medallions representing mythical Medusa that are found in the courtyard of the Forum of Severus or New Forum. .  Built during the reign of Septimius Severus (193-211 AD).
    Libya_Leptis_Magna_008.tif
  • Nalut. Libya. View of an old mosque at Nalut Castle which is located 650 metres above sea level in the Berber heartland in the Western Mountains, or Jebel Nafusa.
    Libya_Nalut_003.tif
  • Ptolemais. Cyrenaica. Libya. View of restored columns at the Greek Agora / marketplace and which was later used as forum by the Romans. The two tall ionic columns in the rear of image belonged to a temple which may have been dedicated to the Capitoline Triad (Jupiter, Juni and Minerva). Below the Agora are reservoirs / cisterns that were originally built by the Greeks to store water that arrived via an aqueduct from mountain springs 25 kilometres away.
    Libya_Ptolemais_001.tif
  • Ptolemais. Cyrenaica. Libya. View of the columns and ruins of the impressive Columned Palace or Villa of the Columns which occupied over 600 sq m and included a central peristyle or two level galleried courtyard with a sunken swimming pool. Originally dating from the 2nd century BC the building remains essentially Greek, even though the complex was remodelled over the course of time especially during the Roman period.
    Libya_Ptolemais_002.tif
  • Ptolemais. Cyrenaica. Libya. View of the many highly sophisticated architectural elements strewn around the vast archaeological site.  The blue waters of the Mediterranean are in the background.
    Libya_Ptolemais_003.tif
  • Ptolemais. Cyrenaica. Libya. View of a sand stone block with an ancient Greek inscription carved into it along the once paved decumanus also known as monumental road which was the premier address of the ancient city. Founded in the 4th century BC, Ptolemais is located on the site of the port or harbour of Barca, an ancient 7th century BC Greek colony situated between the Mediterranean Sea and the steep slopes of the Cyrenaica plateau.
    Libya_Ptolemais_004.tif
  • Ptolemais. Cyrenaica. Libya. View of one of the well built and preserved cisterns that are located below the Greek agora. The reservoirs / cisterns were originally built by the Greeks to store water that arrived via an aqueduct from mountain springs 25 kilometres away. The cisterns ceiling height were later raised by the Romans and they were once the largest in North Africa. There are eight 50 metre long chambers running north-south and nine 20 metre long chambers running east-west.
    Libya_Ptolemais_007.tif
  • Qasr Al-Haj. Jebel Nafus. Libya. View through the main entrance of the wonderfully preserved and completely enclosed circular fortified Berber granary in the village of Qasr Al Haj. Dating from the 12th century the spectacular granary was built as a communal storehouse to hoard and protect the critical crops of every local family. The 114 cave like storage pens are sealed with doors made of palm tree trunks and the granary is still being used today.
    Libya_Qasr al haj_001.tif
  • Qasr Al-Haj. Jebel Nafus. Libya. View inside the wonderfully preserved and completely enclosed circular fortified Berber granary in the village of Qasr Al Haj. Dating from the 12th century the spectacular granary was built as a communal storehouse to hoard and protect the critical crops of every local family. The 114 cave like storage pens are sealed with doors made of palm tree trunks and the granary is still being used today.
    Libya_Qasr al haj_003.tif
  • Qasr Libya. Cyrenaica. Libya. View inside of the museum of the extraordinary collection of mosaics that were found in the Eastern Church. The lively and colourful mosaics of Qasr Libya are considered some of the finest examples of Byzantine period art ever discovered. Dating from around AD 529-40 during the reign of Emperor Justinian, the mosaics subjects range from animals, plants and mythological creatures.
    Libya_Qasr-Libya_Museum_001.tif
  • Qasr Libya. Cyrenaica. Libya. View inside of the museum at Libya of the largest mosaic that was found in the northern aisle of the Eastern Church. The lively and colourful mosaics of Qasr Libya are considered some of the finest examples of Byzantine period art ever discovered. Dating from around AD 529-40 during the reign of Emperor Justinian, the mosaics subjects range from animals, plants and mythological creatures.
    Libya_Qasr-Libya_Museum_003.tif
  • Qasr Libya. Cyrenaica. Libya. View inside of the museum of two of the extraordinary collection of fifty mosaics that were found in the floor of Eastern Church at Qasr Libya.. The lively and colourful mosaics of Qasr Libya are considered some of the finest examples of Byzantine period art ever discovered. Dating from around AD 529-40 during the reign of Emperor Justinian, the mosaics subjects range from animals, plants and mythological creatures.
    Libya_Qasr-Libya_Museum_011.tif
  • Qasr Libya. Cyrenaica. Libya. View inside of the museum of two of the extraordinary collection of fifty mosaics that were found in the floor of Eastern Church at Qasr Libya.. The lively and colourful mosaics of Qasr Libya are considered some of the finest examples of Byzantine period art ever discovered. Dating from around AD 529-40 during the reign of Emperor Justinian, the mosaics subjects range from animals, plants and mythological creatures.
    Libya_Qasr-Libya_Museum_014.tif
  • Sabratha. Libya. View of the magnificent Roman theatre which originally dates from 175-200 AD and in its heyday could seat over 5000 spectators.  One of the most graceful and impressive of the Roman world, the theatre’s imposing stage towers three storeys high and consists of 108 fluted Corinthian columns.
    Libya_Sabratha_001.tif
  • Sabratha. Libya. View of a headless but beautifully sculptured and draped marble statue of a female figure overlooking the sea beside the Seaward baths.
    Libya_Sabratha_002.tif
  • Sabratha. Libya. Looking out towards the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean with the second century AD Temple of Liber standing out with its five large re-erected sandstone columns which were originally made of marble before being destroyed in the AD365 earthquake. In the foreground are the smaller columns of the Antonine Temple.
    Libya_Sabratha_003.tif
  • Sabratha. Libya. View of the beautiful mosaics of the Seaward Baths which overlooks the sea and dates from the late first century AD. In the background are the ruins of the Temple of Isis.
    Libya_Sabratha_004.tif
  • Sabratha. Libya. View inside room three of the Roman Museum of a colossal bust of Jupiter or Zeus from the Temple of Jupiter.
    Libya_Sabratha_005.tif
  • Slonta. Libya. View of a row of human like heads rock sculptures peering from beneath a ledge at a religious cult sanctuary made by the indigenous Libyan population that possibly date to a time before Greeks arrived in the area in the 7th century BC. The site has curious mix of carvings in the rock including childlike figures, human faces and various animal figures like pigs, lions, sheep, horses, dogs and snakes. It is believed the temple’s round rock pillar base in the centre of the small site supported the roof of the cave in which collapsed at an unknown time in the past.
    Libya-Slonta-005.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of the four-way triumphal Arch of Marcus Aurelius which is Tripoli’s only substantial reminder of the former ancient Roman classical city of Oea. Built around AD164 and dedicated to the co-emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus the impressive marble Arch stands at the entrance to the ancient city beside the harbour and is at the junction of the cardo maximus and decumanus which were the two most important roads of the ancient Roman city. Appearing sunken and shadowed by a palm tree, the Arch actually stands at the original level of the ancient city.
    LIbya_Tripoli_001.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of the palms trees surrounding the ornate water fountain of sea horses located in Green Square or Martyrs Square. The fountain was built by the Italians during their occupation of Libya from 1911 to 1943.
    LIbya_Tripoli_002.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of a highly colourful and decorative entrance to a side room of Ahmed Pash Karamanli Mosque which is the largest Mosque in the Medina. Dating from the 1730’s, the Mosque is richly decorated and amid it forest of marble columns has beautifully crafted floral, geometrical patterns and Moorish designs on its doors, walls and ceilings.
    LIbya_Tripoli_004.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of the marble paved courtyard of the Old British Consulate which has a large tree in its centre and is elegantly surrounded by Moorish archways and balconies. Located in the Medina, the building was constructed in 1744 for the Karamanli dynasty and was used by the British as a consulate for approximately 100 years from the mid eighteenth cent until 1940.
    LIbya_Tripoli_006.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of the open courtyard of the Yusuf Karamanli House which has a central fountain surrounded by arcades, colonnades, balconies and elaborate, colourful and lavish tile work and cravings on its walls. Located deep in the Medina, the house was built in the second half of the 18th century during the Ottoman period and was the Private residence of the Karamanli family who ruled Tripoli for over 100 years during the 18th and early 19th century.
    LIbya_Tripoli_007.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of an alleyway inside the Medina, with items for sale as souvenirs including hanging colourful lanterns and thick floor mats with camel and the word Libya printed across them. Originating from Roman times, the true heart of Tripoli is the ancient walled Medina or Old city which is a fascinating, exotic and bustling mix of narrow alleys, ornate doorways, elaborate mosques, various souks or markets and intoxicating rich sugar and spice aromas.
    LIbya_Tripoli_033.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of the open courtyard of the Yusuf Karamanli House which has a central fountain surrounded by arcades, colonnades, balconies and elaborate, colourful and lavish tile work and cravings on its walls. Located deep in the Medina, the house was built in the second half of the 18th century during the Ottoman period and was the Private residence of the Karamanli family who ruled Tripoli for over 100 years during the 18th and early 19th century.
    LIbya_Tripoli_053.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of colourful and skilfully crafted traditional rug, bag and cushion cover for sale as souvenirs in one of the souqs or markets inside the Medina.
    LIbya_Tripoli_111.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of the imposing facade of the former Catholic cathedral and now Grand Mosque or Mosque of Masjed Jamal Abdel Nasser. Located on Algeria Square or Maidan al-Jazayir, the neo –Romanesque structure was built in 1928 during the Italian occupation and was converted into a Mosque in 1970 after the coup and revolution. In the foreground are two traffic police directing the traffic around the busy square.
    LIbya_Tripoli_114.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View of tall and imposing 1930’s Italianate facade of the Galleria du Aurore which is located on Algeria Square or Maidan al-Jazayir opposite the Grand Mosque. The Galleria serves as a teahouse and is popular with water pipe or nargile smokers.
    LIbya_Tripoli_117.tif
  • Tripoli. Libya. View inside tomb one at Zanzur museum showing a scene where the deceased seems to be saying goodbye to his family and being led away to the afterlife. Below it is a scene of a animal pursuing a Antelope. Dating from the second half of the first century AD and located on the lower floor of the museum, the tomb overall is richly decorated with skilfully painted scenes representing death, life and resurrection, mythological figures and interpretations and various animals.
    LIbya_Tripoli_148.tif
  • Wadi al Kuf. Cyrenaica. Libya. View of the spectacular scenery of the Wadi al-Kuf which stretchers for about 8 kilometres in the in Akhdar Mountains or Green Mountains. The picturesque landscape of wooded cliffs is pockmarked with caves. The Libyan resistance fighters retreated to these caves during the fierce battles against the Italian forces during the Italian occupation in 1927 and 1928. The Hollywood movie Lion of the Desert starting Anthony Quinn was filmed here and it immortalized Omar Al Mokhtar who was the famous leader of the Libyan resistance.
    Libya_Wadi_Al-Kuf_006.tif