Northern Libya Short Break Exploring Tripolitania

Libya’s capital and largest city, Tripoli was founded by Phoenician traders in the 5th century BC. It was later absorbed and shaped by the colonising influences of the Roman Empire, the Muslim world of the East, the Ottoman Empire and Italian occupation. Today it stands as an eclectic mix of cultures as Islamic,Turkish and local Libyan mores merge to create a rich and colourful heritage.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)

This morning we begin with a walking tour of Tripoli, meandering along the narrow dusty streets of the old walled Medina and through its covered souks. We then make our way to the impressively fortified Castle or ‘Red Fort’. Built on the ruins of a Roman building dating back to the 1st century AD, the castle has, over the intervening years, been used by many of Libya’s former occupiers as government buildings. This was the site intended by the Knights of St John as their outpost on the eastern edge of Christendom, before the city fell to the forces of Sinan Pasha in the mid 16th century. Although the castle is currently off-limits due to renovation work, we can still access Libya’s premier museum, Mathaf Al-Sarai Al-Hamra, our next port of call, which lies within the castle grounds. The museum is home to an impressive collection of Libyan, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Muslim antiquities and we intend to spend some time here before returning to our bus for the drive to Sabratha. The second of the great cities of Roman Tripolitania, Sabratha was originally founded by the Canaanites in the 6th century BC and then went on to become an important Carthaginian trading post until their defeat by the Romans. It particularly prospered during the 3rd century AD, and became famous as a trading place for gold, ivory, leather and slaves brought north from central Africa, through the Saharan trade posts of Ghadames and Fezzan. Following a guided introduction to the site, we’ll spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the extensive remnants from the city’s Roman period, including its splendid theatre, marble clad public baths, numerous temples and well-preserved mosaics.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

We visit Karamnly house before driving to Leptis Magna has the greatest and most extensive remains of any Roman city and archaeological site in Africa. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982, Leptis Magna was founded by the Phoenicians in the 5th century BC, in an attempt to secure their eastern borders in the face of Greek expansion. This morning we shall drive east from Tripoli, following the coast road for the first of our visits to this most extraordinary of sites. The city came under the domination of the Roman Empire following the third Punic War, reaching the zenith of its prosperity during the reign of Septimius Severus, a native of the town who become emperor in the 3rd century AD. Falling into decline following the invasion of the Vandals in the 5th century, much of Leptis Magna remained buried beneath the desert until the early years of the 20th century, when the Italian government began excavating the ruins. What they found defied the imagination, a complete Roman city preserved by the sand. Everything about Leptis Magna is on a grand scale, from the Severan Arch to the marble and granite panelled Baths of Hadrian, the largest outside Rome. The city was opulence on a grand scale with multi-coloured marbles imported form Italy, Greece and Asia and huge granite columns from Egypt. With ample time set aside for personal exploration, we include guided visits to the main site, visiting some of the 30 or so major monuments that have been restored,including the Forum, market and theatre, as well as the excellent museum and the almost completely intact structure of the gladiators’ ‘circus’. The museum entails some 20 rooms covering the history of Leptis from the Phoenicians, through the Roman occupation and right up to present day. The circus and amphitheatre, situated along the eastern shoreline, hark back to the blood soaked glory days of Rome, when gladiatorial contests and wild animal hunts were the mainstay of entertainment for the masses. The circus, dating back to the reign of Trajan, stretches for nearly half a kilometre along the coast, whilst the amphitheatre sits within a crater like hollow, useful no doubt for keeping the noisy excesses of the baying crowds from reaching the ears of the more sensitive townsfolk. We spend the night at Al-Khoms, the closest town to Leptis Magna thus allowing us to maximise our time there.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Continuing our exploration of Leptis Magna this morning we return to the site and have more time to wander the streets of this most ancient city, admiring both the grandeur of the public buildings and the tranquility its coastal location offers today. Once we have completed our comprehensive tour of the site we will reboard our bus and return to Tripoli for our final evening.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Included meals: Breakfast