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West Africa, Malta and the Balkans in 1999

Sabrata (LIBYA)

Bec
2004-09-19 14:24:57

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time learning a lot of things about the country from the friendly staff member shown here, the Algerian Abdeldjallil Lallali who had fled the oppressive religious atmosphere of his homeland .

Things were getting "curiouser and curiouser" as Libya was not turning out to be the dangerous western-hating place that I had been conditioned to expect. On the contrary, everyone I met, without exception, was most friendly and helpful and many went out of their way to bring me to someplace I was looking for. Maybe it was some sort of collective compensation for Libya's officially hostile attitude towards the outside world but personally I got the feeling that the people were just spontaneously friendly and helpful.

Tripolitania's heyday really came in Roman times when it supplied grain and olive oil to the Empire and still controlled trade with black Africa. The ruins of Sabrata and Leptis Magna are visible proof of Tripolitania's past prosperity but this arch, built to honour Marcus Aurelius in 173 AD, is the only Roman monument left in Tripoli.

Sabrata
Sabrata's fortunes declined sharply after the Vandal invasion of 435 but it was still inhabited when the Arabs ravaged it so badly in 643 that it had to be abandoned. Much of it, including this theatre, was preserved by sand dunes until this century.

To get here, I took a shared taxi from Tripoli to the nearby town of Sabrata and then a private taxi with this gentleman, Anfata Said, who was very proud of his limited English and who insisted to accompany me all over the ruins to explain them to me.

Unfortunately I travel with a very simple camera that does not have a wide-angle lens. This composite picture nevertheless gives you an idea of the elaborate backstage developed by the Romans on the more simple model of theaters used by the Greek.

My taxi driver was very helpful but he was not an archaeological guide and could not answer many of my questions. Neither could the gatekeeper. I would have been much more interested in this small temple if I could have found out when and for whom it was built and what the underground chambers we can see here were used for.

I went back to Tripoli and the next day, took a bus to Khoms to visit the ruins of Leptis Magna.

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