The sheer scale and grandeur of Leptis Magna, home city of the Emperor Septimius Severus, is a yardstick of imperial magnificence against which to measure all other ruined cities of antiquity. The western Punic cities provide an unexpected contrast with the Greek colonies in the East.

Nearby Sabratha also follows the common North African tale of a Punic trading port turned Roman city, whilst at Tripoli there is the opportunity to see one of the world’s great Classical art collections at the Castle Museum. Eastern Libya, Cyrenaica, is separated from Western Libya, Tripolitania, by the Sirtic desert, and by a cultural shift, for the ruined cities here belong more with the the Greek East than the Punic and Roman West.

We fly over the desert plain to Benghazi. It is becoming easier for western visitors to travel through Libya, but the beaches remain undeveloped, the shops and bazaars cater mainly for Libyans, and the sites are still relatively empty of visitors. An excellent place for a holiday.