LIBULAND!

 

 

Luscious may not be a word that complements a desert, but if that’s the kind of break you are seeking for some solace from a hectic work schedule, look no further than Libya, for that is where the two come together! And for good reason too, for replete with date palms and dry desert and shifting sands and camel trails, Libya sure enough is a paradise blooming with all the goodies of the desert.

Ghadhames, a town 600 kms from Tripoli could well have been another name for desert architecture which it has aplenty. The town that was once the ‘Pearl of the Desert’ is where one can still come across mud-brick houses. Tripoli on the other hand, besides being the de facto capital of Libya is also where historical mosques and Medina (walled city) stand tall in a cultural beau ideal. A feature attraction here is the Assai al-Hamra also called ‘Red Castle’, a massive structure, a maze of alleys and courtyards. It’s also where you can find large houses (by any measure), some of them even up to 1,40,000 sq feet. Then there is the city of temples, tombs and theatre, Cyrene, where stunning Greek ruins overlooking the sea are a sight for the attic of memories. One can also find breathtaking statues and artifacts from the Roman era at the Cyrene Museum. The unique natural rock formations of Jebel Acacus, a World Heritage Site, is another experience that is bound to be rewarding. The pre-historic cave paintings tell tales and almost instantaneously take one’s imagination to ages dating 12,000 years back. But, nothing comes close to the archaeological wonder that is Leptis Magna. Believed to be the best Roman site in the whole of the Mediterranean, the marble and granite panelled Hadrianic Baths and the Severan Arch will make a ruin-lover of the most ruin-weary of travellers!