The classical ruins of western Libya are some of the wonders of the world. The monumental remains of these wealthy cities are spread in their entirety along undeveloped Mediterranean beaches, and the ephemeral nature of Empire can perhaps be felt more powerfully here than anywhere else.
The province of Tripolitania was named after the three great cities which started as Punic trading posts, and then received all the monumental munificence of Roman Imperial cities - Lepcis Magna (renamed Leptis by the early Italian excavators as it was easier to pronounce), Sabratha and Oea (modern Tripoli).
Leptis Magna was particularly honoured with lavish public buildings as it was the birthplace of the first African Roman Emperor, Septimius Severus, who died at York in AD 211 whilst campaigning in northern Britain. (His curly hair and beard provide the inspiration for our Bare Bones Leptis skeleton!)
The ruins on the north African coast at Leptis cover a huge area. They were abandoned almost two millennia ago and remarkably little interference or overbuilding has taken place since. We take two full days to explore this vast ruinous city.
Sabratha also follows the North African pattern of a Punic trading port turned Roman city, and the theatre, although much reconstructed, has some of the best preserved carvings anywhere. There was a substantial Christian community at Sabratha in the 4th and 5th centuries which has left impressive and rare ecclesiastical remains from this early period.
Very little remains visible of Oea since this was the city chosen by the Libyan Arabs as their capital, and its success meant the destruction and overbuilding of its ancient remains. However, the Jamahiriya Museum houses one of the world’s great classical collections of sculpture and mosaics, and also offers insights into contemporary Libya.
The infrastructure for tourism is still in its infancy in Libya, but the astonishing ancient sites and the friendliness of the people make this an immensely rewarding destination.
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